#This is gonna be a mini-series out of nowhere....

[brunchable]

𝗠𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿

Pairings: PornStar!Bucky Barnes x f!Reader Themes: Sexual Innuendo/humour,Guy next door, situational comedy? If you're not up for a few second-hand embarrassment sit this one out lol. Summary: Your coworker peer pressured you to look up SergeantBarnes in Pornhub, reason? Because apparently you're missing out. A/N: This would make a good mini series. . .but we'll see. I had a dream. . .that he was a guy next door, just wanted to-of course-add a twist to it asdfghjkl.

It was all Amy’s fault. And Trish’s. And okay, maybe you shared a little bit of the blame for caving to the intense peer pressure at work. But still.

You’d been minding your own business in the break room, scrolling through lunch menus, when Amy had sidled up, leaned in with that conspiratorial look on her face, and whispered, “Have you seen him yet?”

“Seen who?” your eyebrows creased as you asked, confused.

Trish popped up out of nowhere, clutching her latte in her hand. “Girl, SeargentBarnes. The guy is legendary—I mean, a literal internet icon.”

You shrugged, feigning indifference while they exchanged a look that practically screamed, amateur. They started talking all at once, dropping cryptic phrases like “too hot to handle,” “you’re gonna die,” and, “you’ll never look at men the same way again.”

So there you were that night, alone with your laptop, curled up in bed and biting your lip as you debated whether to type it in. It’s just curiosity, you reasoned. Research purposes.

Your eyes widened as the screen filled with… well, humanity, in all its naked, unfiltered glory. Your face heated up so fast you could’ve sworn it was the same shade as your throw pillow. Videos lined up like some weird buffet, titles more scandalous than anything you’d ever whispered in confession, and… was that a whole category devoted to delivery men? You slapped a hand over your mouth to stop from yelping, mortified at the intensity of it all. 

“I need to go to church after this,” you muttered, squinting like that would somehow censor the thorough dedication people were showing in their, uh, procreation endeavors.

“SergeantBarnes,” you muttered to yourself as you typed, fingers hovering uncertainly over the Enter key. Then, with a sigh, you hit search, and… oh.

You nearly choked on oxygen. Because there he was, in HD glory, right on Pornhub, with that cocky grin and those blue eyes that looked like they’d been crafted in a lab. And he wasn’t just standing there looking smug—oh, no, he was on a mission, shirtless, flexing, and smirking at the camera like he was the world’s best-kept secret. The scene panned to him sitting on the edge of a bed, peeling off his belt with one hand, a glint in his eyes that seemed to say, this is what you came for.

“Oh my god,” you muttered, equal parts horrified and morbidly fascinated, as he proceeded to… well, get very familiar with his costar. SergeantBarnes was apparently an expert at multitasking, using every muscle, every inch of his well-equipped arsenal. And the way he was delivering lines? He was clearly treating the camera like it was his soulmate.

By minute two, your jaw had dropped. By minute five, you’d set the laptop on your nightstand to “watch responsibly.” By minute ten, you were convinced Amy and Trish had permanently ruined your life.

And the costar—she was practically putting on an Oscar-worthy performance, her reactions so intense you half expected her to start speaking in tongues. Every time SergeantBarnes’s… rod of justice plunges deep inside, she gasps like she was witnessing a miracle. You scoffed, rolling your eyes. Come on, is that really necessary?

As you watched, he gave a low, rumbling sound—half growl, half sigh—that sent an involuntary shiver down your spine. His gaze burned through the screen with a confidence that was practically magnetic, and suddenly, you understood exactly why the costar was gasping. A new, unbidden heat pooled between your legs, making you shift uncomfortably, instinctively pressing your thighs together as if that could somehow stop the flush creeping up your face. Oh no, now I wish I were her, you thought, immediately cringing at yourself.

With a mix of half-laughter and half-horror, you reached over and slammed the laptop shut so fast it was like you were trying to save yourself from spontaneous combustion. 

“Holy—oh, wow,” you whispered, pressing a hand to your face. “Okay. That was a one-time thing.”

Or so you thought.

Except now, every time you even glanced at your laptop, SergeantBarnes was right there in your mind, reminding you exactly why he was internet-famous. It was becoming a bit of a problem.

× × × ×

The next morning, you stumbled out of your apartment, looking like something that had been left out in the rain and dragged through a blender, mentally cursing last night’s “research” session. The world had no right to be this bright, and your regret levels were at an all-time high as you lugged the world’s heaviest box down the hallway.

You were so absorbed in avoiding a complete breakdown that you barely registered the deep, too-familiar voice beside you.

“Need help with that?”

“Thanks, but I got it,” you muttered automatically, barely sparing him a glance.

Except...then you did.

You looked up, squinting in confusion. Because, standing in front of you, in the perfectly mundane hallway of your perfectly mundane building, was him.

You froze, your brain spinning like a buffering screen. Okay, this guy’s insanely handsome. Tall, broad-shouldered, stubbled jaw, eyes so blue they should have a health warning on them. You stared, mentally cataloging each feature, when—wait a minute... WAIT. A. MINUTE.

Your eyes narrowed, suspicion prickling as your brain finally fired up. Is that…? No, it can’t be.

But it was. Oh, it absolutely was. 

SergeantBarnes, the very star of last night’s “educational” viewing, right here in the flesh. And suddenly, like a tractor beam had locked onto you, your gaze dropped right to his crotch, where you’d witnessed things you could never un-see.

This, of course, did not go unnoticed. His brows shot up as he followed your very obvious, very treacherous line of sight, glancing down at his jeans before looking back up at you with an infuriatingly smug grin.

“Uh… nice shoes?” you blurted out, your face feeling like it was on fire. You vaguely gestured to his boots, wishing you could vanish right into the walls.

“Thanks,” he replied smoothly, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “They’re pretty sturdy. But, you know…” He paused, his voice dropping just a hair. “I don’t think they’re what you were looking at.”

Your heart sank as you forced yourself to look up, his amused blue eyes practically laughing at you. Abort. Abort mission. Oh God, we are way past mission failure.

“Uh—no, I just… um…” You floundered, desperately trying to think of something, anything, that might save you from the hole you’d dug. But no words came. Not even the faintest semblance of a coherent thought. Just one long, silent scream echoing in your brain.

“Bucky,” he offered helpfully, sticking out his hand like he wasn’t SergeantBarnes from Pornhub, but just some guy offering to help with a box. “New neighbor, by the way.”

You stared at his hand like it was a booby trap, your brain short-circuiting as it reminded you exactly where those fingers had been. That hand had gripped… things. It had been places you’d only dreamed of, doing things you’d probably need a core workout just to survive. You could practically see the “viewer discretion advised” warning flashing in your head as you hesitated, still staring at his hand as if it might explode.

But, against your better judgment—and every shred of dignity—you slowly reached out and shook it, feeling your own fingers betray you by sweating as they made contact with his very… experienced ones.

“Uh… hi… I’m… yep.” you blurted, mentally cringing.

“‘Yep’? That’s a good name,” he said, smirking as he let go. “You sure you don’t need help? You seem… a little flustered.”

Flustered? Understatement of the century. If your dignity had been a cup, it was empty, bone-dry, and cracked. You forced yourself to focus, eyes straight forward, pointedly ignoring the very tempting crotch-level view. 

“I’m fine! Totally fine!” you squeaked, cringing at your own voice. Oh God, calm down!

But he just chuckled, that same dangerously cocky smile from last night plastered all over his face. “Alright, Yep. Guess I’ll see you around.”

As he turned to leave, you stood there in the hallway, clutching the box like it was a life raft, heart racing a mile a minute. You’d just had a very public staring incident with SergeantBarnes, your new neighbor, and all you’d managed to say was nice shoes.

I’m gonna need new coworkers, you thought, practically burying your face in the box as you scurried to your apartment.

The door slammed shut with a bang that could probably be heard across state lines. You dropped the box unceremoniously, ignoring the loud thunk as it hit the floor, and whipped your phone out, fingers flying across the screen like you were composing a manifesto.

Guys, you’re NEVER gonna guess who my neighbor is—

You paused, staring at the screen as the rest of the text formed in your mind: THE SergeantBarnes. LIVE. IN. THE. FLESH.

But then another thought stopped you dead in your tracks. Oh no.

You could already picture it: Amy and Trish showing up like rabid fangirls in their “I Heart SergeantBarnes” merch, carrying suspiciously flimsy plates of brownies. Trish would have binoculars. Amy would be taking notes, probably trying to “accidentally” leave her phone number under his door. You shuddered, imagining them cornering him by the mailboxes, all of them acting like they were definitely not the type of women who had his entire catalog bookmarked on their phones.

A horrible realization hit you. If I tell them, this man’s gonna be living a nightmare right next door to me. Not just a nightmare, a Trish-and-Amy-sponsored fan club nightmare, where they might even break into song—probably chanting, “SergeantBarnes! SergeantBarnes!” while he tries to get his groceries.

You looked back at your unsent message and deleted it in one go, feeling weirdly proud of yourself. Yeah, no. I’m not letting them anywhere near him.

Totally altruistic, of course. It had nothing to do with keeping the eye candy to yourself.

You took a deep breath, looking around your empty apartment like you were expecting the FBI to burst through the door at any second. Sure, you’d just been in the hallway with the actual SergeantBarnes, but maybe… maybe you were imagining things. It had been a long day. Moving was stressful. Stranger things had happened, right?

With a surge of resolve (and denial), you dashed to your bedroom, practically sliding across the floor as you went. Your laptop was waiting innocently on the nightstand, and with a quick glance over your shoulder to ensure you were still alone, you opened it up, clicked incognito mode like you were hiding state secrets, and went straight to the website you’d sworn off only hours ago.

“Alright… just to confirm,” you muttered to yourself, feeling your cheeks burn as you typed SergeantBarnes into the search bar, mentally bracing yourself for the flood of results.

And there he was. The whole page filled with him, in various… positions. You swallowed, scrolling until one video caught your eye: “Sergeant Disciplines the Bratty Recruit.”

You snorted, almost slamming the laptop shut. “Oh, for heaven’s sake…”

But curiosity was a dangerous beast, and before you could talk yourself out of it, your finger had already clicked play.

The video started, with SergeantBarnes in all his glory, wearing what looked like the world’s tightest military uniform. His face was as smug as ever, that telltale glint of mischief in his eyes as he muttered something absurd like, “Think you can handle me, recruit?”

“Oh my god,” you whispered, cringing as you half-covered your eyes but peeked through your fingers anyway.

But there was no denying it—the face, the voice, the ridiculous, smoldering look into the camera. There was no escaping it now. It was 100% him. The same guy who was now living approximately ten feet away from your own front door.

As the video continued, your disbelief only grew. This man… this man is next door, could eating cereal right now, you thought, torn between horrified fascination and the urge to laugh. Because there he was, in full “disciplinary action” mode, doing things you could barely process, and here you were, watching it again, just to make sure it was really him.

“Oh, I’m doomed,” you muttered, slapping the laptop shut. You weren’t even sure if you were embarrassed, impressed, or maybe just a little terrified of your own neighbor.

× × × ×

Over the next few days, it was like living in a twisted sitcom. Everywhere you went, he was there, lurking like some kind of sexy, mildly inconvenient specter. It was uncanny. You’d turn a corner, and bam—there he’d be, giving you that polite nod and a smirk that clearly said, I know exactly what you’ve seen.

It started small. You’d step into the elevator, praying for a peaceful ride, and ding! in he’d stroll, flashing that devastating grin. Instantly, you’d stiffen, gluing yourself to the opposite wall, practically trying to meld with the buttons, heart pounding like you were about to pass out. You couldn’t even look him in the eye without flashes of his, uh, “filmography” playing in your mind. Every single time, without fail, you found yourself studying the very clean floor of the elevator as he leaned casually against the wall, the corners of his mouth tugging up.

“Nice day, isn’t it?” he’d ask, all smooth, innocent charm. Meanwhile, you were there like, Oh, totally, perfect day to run into my favorite Pornhub star.

You were in the laundry room, blissfully alone, humming to yourself as you separated your clothes like a responsible adult. Whites here, colors there, delicates—well, you were kind of just tossing them wherever at this point. Then, suddenly, you felt it: a shift in the air, a presence. You froze, the hair on the back of your neck standing up, a sock suspended mid-toss in your hand. Why do I feel like the music should be getting dramatic right about now?

Slowly, as if sensing his approach, you turned. And there he was—Bucky, striding in with a laundry basket filled with a suspiciously pristine pile of perfectly folded, incredibly manly clothing. It was as if he’d just stepped out of some kind of… laundry commercial. Or worse… one of his own videos.

You blinked, eyes widening as a thousand clichés suddenly flashed through your mind. Oh no, why does this feel like the start of a porn? you thought, biting your lip as you realized the two of you were, in fact, very alone, surrounded by washing machines and suspiciously warm lighting. You mentally kicked yourself. Snap out of it! This is laundry. Regular, boring laundry.

Bucky caught your eye, giving you an amused once-over. “Doing some laundry?” he asked, his voice low and casual, but somehow it felt like the most suggestive question in the world.

You opened your mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Uh-huh,” you managed, trying to sound like a normal human being. “Just, uh… laundry.”

Your face felt like it was on fire as you realized half of your load was underwear, strewn everywhere. Panties, bras, socks—they were all there in their mismatched glory, practically screaming, We’re personal items! Pay extra attention! You yanked your gaze away from the pile, mortified, and flung the sock into the washer like you were trying to disarm a bomb.

You slammed the washer lid down, feeling like you’d just revealed way too much. But Bucky only grinned, strolling over with that maddening swagger. He tossed a shirt into the washer beside you, leaning against it with a smirk.

“Nice sorting skills,” he commented, eyes flicking down to the very obvious pile of bras and lace that you’d tried to hide. “Very… thorough.”

“Yep!” you squeaked, feeling like you might explode. You fumbled with the detergent bottle, struggling to open it as your brain went into full-blown panic mode. Why does this feel like one of those videos? Don’t look at him. Just don’t look. Pretend you’re alone. Pretend this is fine.

But of course, he wasn’t making it any easier. He folded his arms, watching you with a raised brow, the picture of calm while you were desperately trying to load underwear without dying of embarrassment. 

“You know,” he said, clearly holding back a laugh, “usually people try to separate colors from whites.”

“Oh, I do! I mean, I… it’s a system,” you stammered, feeling like you were caught in a lie by the laundry police. “Sometimes it’s… it’s an artistic choice.”

He chuckled, his eyes twinkling with that insufferable amusement. “Artistic laundry, huh? Didn’t take you for the experimental type.”

“Yep,” you said, forcing a laugh as you stuffed in the last sock, your hands moving at lightning speed, desperate to finish and escape.

But as you turned to leave, he held up a stray bra that had somehow escaped your grasp, dangling it between two fingers with a raised eyebrow. 

“You forgot this,” he said, voice dripping with that same mischievous humor.

You stared at the bra in horror, feeling your face go molten. 

“Uh… thanks,” you mumbled, practically ripping it out of his hand and stuffing it into the washer, slamming the lid down one last time before you spun on your heel and speed-walked out of there.

Behind you, you heard him chuckle softly, his voice echoing in the hallway. “See you around, neighbor.”

Yep, you thought, already halfway down the hall, never doing laundry again.

By day three, it got ridiculous. You’d ducked into the mailroom, hoping he was out doing normal human things—maybe mowing a lawn or whatever. But no, as soon as you opened your mailbox, there he was, standing by his own, sorting through a stack of letters. You froze, briefly considering whether you could just flee and come back later for your electric bill.

And then… the grocery bag incident.

You were in the hallway, arms overloaded with bags because, naturally, you’d ignored the cart right by the entrance and had instead decided to carry it all in one go. You were so close to your door when you heard footsteps behind you.

“Need help?” he asked, that voice making you nearly fumble every bag in your arms.

You turned, scrambling to say, “No, I’m good,” but of course, in your panic, one of your bags tipped, and a lone, horrifying item fell out and hit the floor. You watched, paralyzed, as the little bottle of lube rolled out with an audible clatter, spinning lazily to a stop right in front of him.

You could practically feel the heat exploding from your cheeks. No. Oh no. Not like this.

You looked up, meeting his amused, slightly raised eyebrows as his lips twitched, clearly fighting a smile. 

“Uh,” you choked out, unable to form a single coherent sentence. Think fast, make it sound normal, you told yourself, even though every possible explanation was racing out of your head.

He bent down, picking up the bottle with a glint of pure mischief in his eyes, inspecting it like he’d just found evidence of some grand crime.

“Hey, everyone’s got needs,” he said, deadpan, but that twinkle in his eye was anything but innocent. “Don’t worry.” He tossed you a wink, handing the bottle back like it was no big deal.

Your mouth opened, then closed, then opened again as your brain scrambled to form a sentence. Finally, the words tumbled out like a train wreck, your dignity left somewhere back at the grocery store.

“It’s… it’s for my friend,” you squeaked, clutching the lube bottle with both hands like it was a sacred artifact. He raised an eyebrow, looking entirely too entertained for your liking. “She’s, uh, she’s constipated.”

A moment of silence.

“She needs it to… you know, help with a suppository.” You forced a grin that you were sure looked more like a grimace. “She, uh… can’t get things moving. Really jammed up in there.”

Bucky’s face twisted in barely suppressed laughter, and his shoulders shook as he struggled to keep a straight face. 

“Right,” he drawled, nodding with an expression that was one part pity and two parts are you for real? “That’s… thoughtful of you.”

You felt like you were overheating, a human furnace on the verge of combustion. 

“She’s desperate!” you blurted, doubling down on your ridiculous story, even though every fiber of your being was screaming to stop talking. “I’m just being a good friend, you know? Supportive. I mean, she’s the one who’s backed up.”

He nodded again, still fighting a smile, the look in his eyes a mix of amusement and something else that made your pulse race. 

“Sure,” he said, “nothing like helping a friend in need.” He paused, that wicked smile growing as he added, “In my experience, though, there are plenty of other uses for it.”

Your soul left your body.

He held out his hands in mock innocence, chuckling as your eyes widened to saucers. 

“Just saying,” he winked. “Versatile stuff.” 

And with that, he turned, strolling down the hall with a casual wave, leaving you frozen and mortified, clutching the bottle to your chest like a lifeline.

“Gotta… go,” you managed, voice barely a whisper, stumbling the last few steps to your door as you fumbled with the keys, practically falling inside.

The second the door shut behind you, you pressed your back against it, staring at the ceiling and whispering, “I’m never leaving my apartment again.”

Just as you were about to bury your face in your hands and live in the sweet, silent embrace of shame, your phone buzzed. You pulled it out, still reeling from the lube disaster, and saw a text from your friend, Clara.

Clara: Hey!! Did you get the lube?? Need it ASAP, things are… not moving over here, if you catch my drift.

You groaned, staring at the message, letting it sink in that yes, this entire disaster had been real. 

You: Yes. Got it. Never speaking of this again.

Clara: Bless you, you lifesaver. My digestive system owes you a standing ovation.

You rolled your eyes, still red-faced. Clara had no idea you’d just had to explain the entire situation to your painfully attractive neighbor—who now likely thought you were a walking sitcom.

× × × ×

It started subtly—just a little teasing, or so you thought. But it quickly spiraled into a game you could only describe as Bucky Barnes: Merciless Teasing—Extended Cut. Every time you crossed paths, he managed to twist the knife just a little deeper, making you sweat, stumble, and practically choke on your own words.

The first time it happened, you were hauling a huge box out of your car, trying to look capable and independent, when he strolled up beside you, leaning against the car with a smirk.

“You act like I’m a celebrity,” he said, eyebrow cocked. “Every time you see me, you look ready to run.”

You fumbled, nearly dropping the box. 

“Nope! I’m just…uh, busy!” you squeaked, scrambling to walk away at top speed, box clutched to your chest like a shield. But you caught his laugh as you rushed off, making you want to evaporate on the spot.

The next time, you were in the stairwell, headphones in, desperately trying to avoid any more awkward run-ins. Naturally, the moment you looked up, there he was, lounging at the landing like some kind of paid actor in a commercial. You froze mid-step as he raised a brow.

“Look at that,” he said, giving you the once-over, “you look like you’ve seen a ghost every time you see me. Is it something I did?”

You stammered, turning pink. 

“No! Just, uh… headphones! Music! Loud music!” you blurted, before speed-walking up the stairs, praying he didn’t hear the Spice Girls song you’d been blasting. Behind you, his chuckle echoed up the stairwell like the final taunt of a villain.

But the absolute worst came at the coffee shop.

You were in line, looking at your phone, hoping you could just breeze in and out. The moment you placed your order and turned to leave, there he was, standing right behind you, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“Hey, neighbor,” he drawled, eyeing your coffee cup like it was some incriminating evidence. “Funny running into you here. Or… do you keep running into me?”

Your face flushed, and you tried to think of something clever, but it was like all your brain cells had gone on vacation. 

“Nope! Definitely just getting coffee! I don’t even… live near here!” you babbled, immediately regretting everything.

“Oh, interesting,” he replied, his grin widening. “Because I could swear you live right next door. But hey, if you want to keep pretending you don’t know me, I’ll go along with it.” He handed you your coffee with a wink. “See you around… or not.”

But things took a turn for the mortifying when, one evening, you were pacing the hallway on the phone with Clara, trying to vent without actually collapsing in a pile of awkwardness.

“It’s him, Clara!” you hissed, oblivious to the fact that you were pacing right outside Bucky’s door. “I’m living next door to SergeantBarnes! Can you believe this? I’ve seen everything he has to offer! I’ve practically studied him!”

Clara was howling with laughter, but you were too wrapped up in your frustration to care.

“And he knows, Clara! He keeps showing up everywhere, saying stuff like, ‘You seem nervous’ and ‘You keep looking at me like you know something I don’t.’ I swear, he’s doing it on purpose!” You paused, sighing dramatically. “The man is basically torturing me!”

“Yeah?” Clara snorted. “And what are you gonna do about it?”

“Nothing! I’m gonna hide in my apartment forever! I mean, the guy is—” You froze mid-sentence, sensing a presence that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Please, for the love of all that is holy, no.

You slowly turned, and there he was. Bucky. Leaning against his door, arms crossed, looking like he’d just won the freaking lottery.

“Oh… my god…” you whispered, feeling your soul leave your body. He was watching you with an expression of pure, unfiltered amusement, one eyebrow quirked, lips pulled into that infuriating, knowing smirk.

“Well,” he said, voice laced with mischief. “That makes one of us.” His eyes glinted with barely-contained laughter. “And here I thought you were just a fan of my boots.”

You could practically feel your brain cells going up in smoke. 

“I… uh… well… I…” you stammered, cheeks burning. “Boots… are great,” you managed, wanting to sink into the earth.

“Yeah? Because I seem to remember you looking… elsewhere last time,” he teased, stepping a little closer, enjoying every second of your embarrassment.

“Oh, no! Just… boots!” you squeaked, backing up, practically tripping over yourself. “I really should go… water my… uh… plants!”

He chuckled, savoring every second of your panic. “Good luck with that,” he said, throwing in one last wink as he slipped back into his apartment, leaving you in the hallway, feeling like you’d just gone through a slow-motion car crash.

Back in your apartment, you slid down the door, hands over your face as Clara’s laughter erupted over the phone.

“Boots?” she howled. “THAT’S what you went with? Boots?”

You groaned, banging your head back against the door. “Shut up, Clara.”

× × × ×

Determined to reclaim a shred of your dignity, you strode into the local coffee shop, praying for a quiet morning with zero embarrassing encounters. But, as if on cue, the universe had other plans.

There, right at the counter, was Bucky. He spotted you instantly, his face lighting up with that all-too-familiar grin that had haunted your dreams. There was no escape.

He waved you over, and before you could even think of pretending you hadn’t seen him, he was calling out, “Morning, neighbor! What’s your coffee order again?” His voice was loud enough that half the shop turned to look.

“Oh, um… it’s…” you stammered, but he’d already waved to the barista.

“Got it covered,” he said, leaning casually against the counter, eyes twinkling with mischief. “I’ve got a feeling you like it with extra cream.”

You choked on your own saliva, feeling your face turn crimson as he handed you the cup with a wink. 

“Unless I’m wrong?” he added with a smirk, feigning innocence.

“N-Nope, that’s right!” you managed, grabbing the cup like it was a shield. “Extra cream… perfect.”

He chuckled, gesturing to an empty booth in the corner. “Great. Then you won’t mind sitting down with me for breakfast.”

“Oh no, really, I should—”

He raised an eyebrow. “What, got somewhere better to be?”

You froze, helplessly aware that the entire coffee shop was listening in. You managed a nervous laugh, mumbling, “Well… no, I guess not…”

Before you knew it, you were sitting across from him, desperately trying to keep your eyes anywhere but his face, your cheeks burning as he sipped his coffee and watched you with a smug smile.

“So,” he said, leaning forward, “what’s a girl like you doing watching a guy like me online, anyway?”

Your jaw dropped, coffee cup halfway to your mouth. “I—I wasn’t watching—It was research!” you spluttered, already kicking yourself for falling right into his trap.

He chuckled, clearly reveling in your embarrassment. 

“Oh, sure, ‘research,’” he said, nodding like he totally believed you. “I get it. You know, it’s important to be informed.”

You practically shrank into your seat, glancing around to see if anyone else had heard. “Could you not say that so loudly?”

He smirked, taking a long, deliberate sip of his coffee. 

“Relax, I’m just curious,” he said, leaning in close enough that you could smell his aftershave. “Gotta say, it’s a little flattering to have a fan right next door.”

Your brain completely short-circuited. “Fan? I—no! I mean, not like that… I… I barely even…” You could feel the lie crumbling in your throat as his smirk deepened.

“Uh-huh. Then why did you look like you were about to sprint every time you saw me?” He tilted his head, studying you, eyes twinkling. “And I swear you turned pink the second you walked in here.”

Your hands shot up, covering your cheeks. “I did not! You’re imagining things.”

“Am I?” he said, leaning back with a satisfied grin. “Because it’s like clockwork. Every time I’m around, you look like you’ve been caught red-handed. I don’t mind, you know,” he added, shrugging nonchalantly. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”

You let out a strangled laugh, ready to crawl under the table. 

“That’s… obvious,” you muttered, feeling as though you might combust at any second.

“Okay, so since we’re having breakfast together, how about you tell me: any favorite scenes?” He laughed, looking entirely too amused as he stirred his coffee.

You practically choked on your coffee, face flaming as you tried to hide behind your cup. 

“I—I can’t believe you just asked that!” you squeaked, horrified and unable to meet his gaze.

“Oh, come on,” he grinned, clearly enjoying every second. “It’s just small talk. I mean, who better to ask than a neighbor?”

You groaned, burying your face in your hands. “Can we please pretend this conversation never happened?”

“Nope. Can’t do that,” he replied, laughing. “I think it’s a little late for that.”

Just as you were starting to pray for an earthquake to swallow you whole, you glanced up at him, cheeks still flaming. 

“Did you… did you know I recognized you this whole time?”

He leaned back, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. 

“Of course I did,” he said, laughing. “Figured it out the second I saw that look on your face. I just wanted to see if you’d ever bring it up.”

“Oh my god,” you muttered, feeling mortification seep into your very bones. “And you kept messing with me?”

“Of course,” he said, raising an eyebrow with a wicked grin. “I was just waiting to see how long it would take for you to crack. Guess now the ice is broken, huh?”

You couldn’t help but laugh, shaking your head. “You’re the worst.”

He winked, finishing his coffee. “Yeah, but I make breakfast interesting, don’t I?”

You laughed, feeling the last traces of embarrassment fade away—well, at least enough to breathe normally again. But just as you started to feel almost… comfortable, Bucky tilted his head, giving you a curious look.

“So, neighbor,” he said, smirking, “I’ve gotta ask… what’s your name?”

You blinked, realizing with a jolt that you’d never actually told him. In all your attempts to dodge, deflect, and survive the relentless teasing, you hadn’t even bothered to introduce yourself.

“Oh… right,” you mumbled, feeling your cheeks heat up again. “I, uh, guess I never actually said.”

“Nope,” he replied, leaning in with a grin. “I just assumed you wanted to keep a little mystery between us.”

You rolled your eyes, though a smile tugged at your lips. “Trust me, I’m not that mysterious.”

“Really?” he replied, eyebrows raised. “Because all this time I’ve been calling you ‘Yep.’”

Your face went red as you remembered the first time you’d stammered a barely coherent “yep” instead of an introduction. “Oh my god. You haven’t been calling me that in your head this whole time, have you?”

He shrugged, smirking. “It’s kind of cute. Suits you, actually.”

You groaned, but laughed despite yourself, finally holding out your hand across the table. “Alright. I’m Y/N. Officially.”

“Y/N,” he repeated, taking your hand, his grip warm and firm. His smirk softened into something a little more genuine. “Good to meet you, Y/N. Officially.”

His hand lingered in yours for a beat longer than necessary, and for a moment, there was no teasing, no innuendos—just the two of you, sitting across the table, smiling like two normal people who’d just met under… semi-normal circumstances.

Then, just as you were starting to think maybe, just maybe, you could get used to this weirdly charming neighbor situation, he leaned back, that mischievous glint creeping back into his eyes.

“Now that we’re on a first-name basis,” he said, winking, “you can tell me all about your favorite scenes. You know, for professional feedback.”

You burst out laughing, face in your hands as he watched you with a triumphant grin. Yep, you thought, already regretting nothing and everything.

[chukys-mouthguard]

A Shot at Love: Welcome to the Mansion

5.65 words

meet the 12 eligible bachelors

It’s time, for the premier of ‘A Shot at Love: An NHL Dating Show AU’ ! The 12 lucky bachelors arrive at the mansion to meet our lovely bachelorette Y/N!

Who will impress? Who will receive the coveted first rose? It’s all up to the viewers in this one of a kind interactive au series!

Voting is only open for 24 hours, so be sure to cast your vote for who should get the first rose!

note: if you want to be added to the tag list for this series, please comment or send me an ask! :)

A deep sigh left your lips as you looked yourself over once more in the mirror, palms smoothing over your dress before nervously messing with your hair.

In just a few minutes you’d be introduced to twelve NHL players that were going to be competing for a chance at forever with you. The idea was one you sure would never come to fruition when first pitched to you, and when you found out the players of the league would be voting for the twelve eligible bachelors, you were surely convinced the concept would die.

But as the twelve players were determined and had all accepted their spots on the show, you were realizing this funny concept had turned into your reality.

“Y/n, are you ready to get this show started?”

The voice of Paul Bissonnette interrupting your thoughts as you turned to find him and Ryan Whitney, the hosts of the show, both waiting patiently for you before heading out to the front of the mansion to welcome the mystery men.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

A soft chuckle left your lips as you could feel your palms growing sweatier as you headed for the door. The limo transporting the men now visible in the distance as it drove down the long winding driveway.

“Pink Whitney to calm your nerves?”

Ryan pulled 3 mini bottles of the pink lemonade flavored vodka from his suit pocket, Biz quickly taking one and cracking it open.

“Are you guys gonna constantly plug your vodka during this show?”

“You bet your ass we are!”

Biz and Whit tapped their bottles together before throwing them back, you rolling your eyes before joining them in taking the shot.

“Alright, we are gonna go give the boys a warm welcome, then it’ll be show time!”

Nodding your head you watched as the two hosts headed down to meet the limousine, each of them climbing inside to welcome the mystery men. Your nerves at a high as you tried to imagine who would’ve actually accepted a spot on this show, quickly running through every team in the league trying to picture who would come out of the limo. Surely no stars were putting themselves on a dating show, your expectations assuming them to be lesser known guys who maybe didn’t have some superstar image to uphold.

“Holy shit Whit, look at these fucking beauties we got in here!”

Whit quickly smacked his co-host as the group seated around the limo laughed. “Biz watch the mouth! This is national television, you’re gonna get us fired before we even make it to the rose ceremony.”

Biz covered his mouth in embarrassment before mouthing an I’m sorry to the camera.

“Alright boys, so you’re all here because the players voted you all as the worst in the league when it comes to dating and the ladies. So congratulations!”

The limo erupted in laugher and some half hearted cheers. “Y/n’s waiting for you all. She’s a little nervous, but excited. And she’s a drop dead smoke show, so it’s you all who should be nervous!”

Biz went to climb from the limo, time for the grand reveal, but Whit stopped him. “Biz, I think they all could use a little liquid courage don’t you think?”

Whit pulled a bag full of Pink Whitney bottles seemingly from out of nowhere, tossing one to each of the men. “This portion of the show is sponsored by Pink Whitney, the official drink of ‘A Shot at Love.’ Cheers boys!”

As you headed to the bottom of the staircase out front of the mansion, hearing the boys all saying cheers with their shots in the limo, you rolled your eyes.

“Those two are seriously gonna plug that drink every chance they get.”

Biz and Whit reappeared and headed your way, signaling that it was finally time to meet the men that would be competing for a shot at love with you. Your mind racing as you wondered what their opinions of you would be. Would they like you? Would they think you were attractive? Certainly being professional athletes they’ve had plenty of women throwing themselves at them.

“Y/n, it’s time. Should we bring out the first gentleman?”

A simple nod was all you could muster as you patiently waited for the door of the limo to open and Biz or Whit to call their name, wondering who you might see emerging from behind it.

“From the New Jersey Devils…Nico Hischier.”

Nico stepped out of the limo, his smile immediately settling your nerves. A hand running through his hair to ensure it sat perfectly as he buttoned his suit jacket before he walked towards you.

If this was how the night would start, you couldn’t imagine who else was hiding in the limo.

Your heart racing as Nico now stood in front of you, politely taking your hand and kissing it. A true gentleman.

“Hi y/n, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Hi Nico, likewise, even though I had no clue you would be here.”

The blush on your cheeks had to be visible at this point as you couldn’t stop smiling. His accent sounded like music to your ears as he spoke.

“Though I have no clue what to expect out of this experience, I’m excited to get to know you,and for you to get to know me. At the end of this hopefully we are jetting off to Switzerland together.”

“I mean that would definitely be a pretty great ending in my eyes!”

“Well we could leave now? Screw this show?”

Nico playfully pulled your hand to run, but stopped as he laughed, making you melt right there.

“I don’t wanna take up more of your time, I’ll let you meet the rest of the guys. But I promise they won’t be as great as me.”

Nico shot you a wink before heading up the stairs and into the mansion, your smile now permanently on your face.

“So? What did you think of that fine piece of Swiss chocolate?”

A cackle left your mouth at Biz’s drunken commentary, shaking your head as Whit moved to knock on the door of limo to signal the next man to reveal himself.

“You guys are drunk and we’ve only met one guy, oh my lord.”

You were surely in for a wild night, and this was only the beginning.

“From the Philadelphia Flyers, Jamie Drysdale.”

“Hi y/n, it’s nice to meet you. You, you look beautiful.”

“Thank you Jamie, it’s lovely to meet you. How’s your shoulder doing?”

Jamie was shocked at your question, surely he didn’t expect you to be familiar enough with him to know he’d injured the same shoulder two seasons in a row. Laughing a bit as he playfully rubbed it.

“It’s good, better than ever. I’ll never turn down a good shoulder rub though.”

“Maybe if you’re lucky we can do that later for your one on one time?”

“Sounds like a plan to me, I’ll head inside and find a good spot for a massage.”

Jamie flashed a smile before heading inside, Biz looking towards the car to see who was next. A soft chuckle leaving his lips as he gave you a thumbs up, as if to say it’s a good one.

“From the New York Rangers, Matt Rempe.”

Your eyes went wide as the Rangers rookie emerged from the limo. You’d seen him on tv and knew he was tall, but seeing him in person made that crystal clear.

“Hi.”

A soft chuckle leaving your lips as you could sense his nerves and the awkwardness emanating from him.

“Hi, um, I’m sure you get this all the time but, you’re even taller in person.”

“Yeah, I hear that sometimes. Does that mean you’ve watched me on tv?”

“I might have a few times, but don’t think that’s gonna give you any type of advantage here!”

He smiled wide as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just happy to be a part of this with a pretty girl like you, I’m not expecting any special treatment.”

“As long as you don’t start any fights here okay?”

He shot you a devilish grin as he headed up the stairs.

“No promises.”

“Hey, how many shots have you boys had over there?”

You shouted across the drive, noticing the two men getting the giggles. Most likely laughing at something stupid, telling you they were well on their way to being drunk.

“We might as well have just brought a whole bottle out here. These mini bottles aren’t cutting it.”

Shaking your head you smoothed your hands over the front of your dress, readying yourself for the next mystery man to emerge.

“You guys aren’t gonna make it to reveal number six at this rate.”

“From the Seattle Kraken, Vince Dunn.”

The moment Vince stepped out of the limo he’d immediately caught your eye, noticing his style differing from the first few guys. No suit for Vince as he wore a short sleeve shirt that was tastefully showing off the outline of his chest and arm muscles thanks to it being a little on the tighter side. Pairing that with some solid colored chino pants, and some slip on vans.

“Am I a little underdressed or something?”

He playfully joked as he walked up to you, giving you a hug before taking the time to look you up and down. A smile on his face as he held your hand.

“If this is your style, then never worry about being underdressed. I think you look great!”

“Suits are great and all, but my mind is always focused on when I can just throw on my sweats and be comfy.”

“Trust me I’ve been thinking about that the entire time I’ve been standing here, I especially can’t wait for the moment I can take my bra off.”

You and Vince laughed as he made his way towards the staircase to head inside and join the growing group.

“Oh me too, taking my bra off is the best part of my day for sure!”

“From the Vegas Golden Knights, I fucking love this kid-“

“Biz watch the goddamn mouth!”

“Oh fu-I mean, fudge. Jacky Eichs!”

Jack emerged from the limo laughing at the two drunk hosts, both of them giving him a little cheer as he made his way to you, giving you a hug before he introduced himself.

“Hi y/n, I’m Jack. And if we are gonna be together at the end of this, I think it’s important I be honest with you right from the start.”

“Okay, I love honesty.”

He sighed, as if to suggest it was something tough for him to say, making you nervous as this was only night one and you weren’t expecting any drama this soon.

“My, my real name isn’t Jack, it’s John. Woo, that feels good to get off my chest!”

Rolling your eyes you let out a sigh of relief, playfully smacking him on the chest as he laughed. “I thought you were gonna say something off the wall crazy Jack, I mean, John?”

“You can call me Jack, I just didn’t want any secrets on day one, big or small you know?”

He headed up the stairs as Biz and Whit are still shocked they never knew his real name was John, chirping him until he’d finally shut the door to the house behind him.

“Fuc-fudge me Biz what are we on six now? I mean I can’t even see who is coming out of the limos anymore.”

“God forbid you say the wrong name Whit, better put on the glasses for the next one.”

“From the New York Islanders, Mat Barzal.”

If your heart could stop beating, but somehow you’d still be standing and breathing, it had just happened. The minute he’d stepped from the limo you were confused as to how he’d ended up here. Mat was one of the hottest guys in the league, but he did have a bit of a reputation. So how they got him to agree to something as crazy as this, you’d never know.

“Y/n, nice to meet you, I’m Mat.”

“I know, I’ve seen you on tv once or twice, so I know a thing or two.”

“Uh oh, good things or bad things?”

His smirk shot you right through the heart and you could barely focus on speaking. Aspiring how good he looked in his dress pants as loose fitting button up, following Vince in the more casual style of dress.

“I guess you’ll have to wait and find out?”

He shot you a wink before heading inside, your heart rate not slowing down as you urged Biz to hurry up with the next man.

“From the Anaheim Ducks, Gouda!”

“Huh?”

You looked at the two hosts confused as Whit shook his head at Biz, taking the Pink Whitney bottle from his hands as he quickly corrected his partner.

“Jesus Christ, please ignore his drunk ass for the rest of the night, it’s Trevor Zegras.”

The smiley boy emerged from the limo, running a hand through his hair as he approached you. Wrapping you in a tight hug as he seemed to exude confidence.

“Hi y/n, so nice to meet you.”

“You as well, is it Trevor or Gouda?”

He threw his head back laughing as he shrugged. “Whatever you wanna call me, I’m here for it. Trevor, Gouda, maybe your boyfriend by the time things are done here. I’m fine with any of those options!”

“Confident, okay, I like it . Well, I’ll stick with Trevor for right now, don’t wanna get ahead of ourselves.”

Shooting him a wink you bid him farewell as the next man was already emerging from the limo.

“From the Vancouver Canucks, Quinn Hughes.”

To say you were shocked was an understatement. Quinn was known to you as a bit more reserved, often quiet. And quite frankly, he was the last person you expected to be on a dating show.

“You seem a bit surprised, were you expecting Jack to come out of that limo?”

He shyly laughed as he gave you a hug. Quickly shaking your head you tried to erase any thoughts from his mind that you weren’t thrilled to see him.

“No no! Not at all, you just don’t strike me as the dating show type.”

“Well I guess there’s a lot you need to learn about me. For one, reality dating shows are actually a guilty pleasure of mine. And two, maybe I’m not afraid to admit that t I might need some help in the dating department. So here I am.”

“I guess you could say I need some help too and that’s why I’m standing here. But I’m very happy that you’re here too Quinn!”

“How many more guys are there holy shi-shoot?”

Biz headed to the limo, peeking his head inside to count the remaining guys.

“Can we speed run these last guys? Like oh my gosh.”

“Imagine standing on cobblestone in heels this whole time Biz!”

“Exactly! Speed round, hello?? Whit, help me out here!” Whit shook his head as he continued with the script, not wanting to add to the list of reasons he and Biz would be on the chopping block after this episode airs. Most of those reasons being the accidental f bombs and high alcohol content.

“From the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews.”

If you had to rank the players you were most familiar with, Auston would have been towards the top of the list. Though you knew of him for the fact that Toronto wasn’t known for doing too hot in the playoffs the last few years, though you’d never say that to him.

“Hey y/n, how are you?”

He wrapped you in a hug with a smile plastered in his face, unsure if it was him or the Pink Whitney shots that had you blushing.

“Hi Auston, nice to meet you. Loving the outfit, different from the other guys. Which is good, helps you stand out for sure.”

He playfully showed off his outfit, which was more street style than formal attire. But it was true to Auston, which you appreciated him taking the chance to just be himself and show that.

“Figured it was best to show up true to me. Glad you like it. I’m hoping that here I can bring home the win, unlike my track record on the ice.”

“Viewers, he said it, not me!”

You pointed to the camera, staring it down playfully as you laughed, Auston backing you up that it was his words and not yours.

“God bless, final 3 boys, then we’re done.”

“Biz they still have the opportunity for some one on one time, we aren’t done after this.”

“Jesus….pass me another shot.”

“From the Montreal Canadiens, Cole Caufield.”

The smile on Cole’s face never left from the time he exited the limo to when he hugged you. Kindly greeting you as he introduced himself.

“Y/n, ask him what his nickname is.”

Cole immediately shook his head at Biz butting into the meeting, “we really don’t need to do that. Maybe we can reveal that if I make it past tonight.”

Despite Cole’s pleading to ignore Biz, you couldn’t help but be intrigued. “Is it really that bad?”

Cole sighed as he rubbed his neck, debating on whether or not he wanted to tell you. “I’d rather leave you guessing for now, it’s not bad, just, not television appropriate let’s say.”

Your eyes went wide as your mind raced as to what the nickname could be, but letting it slide as you could sense Cole’s nervousness.

“Maybe later you can tell me without these two hanging around.”

Cole smiled as he headed inside, hearing him mumble “fuck I need a shot after that” on his way up the stairs, making you chuckle to yourself.

“I don’t know who let this kid in because he’s not even old enough to drink Pink Whitney, the official sponsor of ‘A Shot at Love’. But he’s here so I guess we just have to deal with it. Get this boy an apple juice, from the New Jersey Devils, Luke Hughes.”

The idea of 2 Hughes brothers’ being included in this show was not one that crossed your mind, but if it had, Luke would definitely have not been the other brother you expected to see step out of that limo.

He shyly made his way over, a soft smile on his face as he hugged you. You couldn’t help but smile, trying your best to make him feel less nervous or anxious.

“Hi Luke, very nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. I’m sure you weren’t expecting this to become Hughes’ bowl, minus Jack of course. But he’s not that great anyways, so you’re not missing much.”

The two of you laughed at his brotherly jabs, appreciating how he’d seemed to relax a bit once he made you laugh.

“Well things definitely just got interesting with 2 Hughes’ brothers in the house, I’d say cheers to the idea of you both making it to the end, but the boys said you’re not 21.”

Like shrugged off the comment, not paying much attention to that fact. “Trust me, it’ll come in handy for me when all these other guys are hungover trying to compete in some sort of physical challenge!”

You were thankful that you’d reached the last guy to appear from the limo, desperately needing to not be standing on cobblestone in your heels.

“And finally, thank the lord, from the Utah Hockey Club. That’s so fucking weird to say oh my god, John Marino.”

John appeared from the limo, laughing at Whit’s comments on his new team, and if you were honest you’d not paid much attention to him prior to him being traded. But as he walked over to you, with a smile on his face as he ran a hand through his loose curls, you were mad for not paying attention sooner.

“Hey y/n, how are you?”

“I’m good, feet hurt a little from standing for so long, but I’m surviving. What about you? Last guy having to sit in that limo all night.”

John shrugged it off, “it was worth my butt falling asleep 4 times if it meant I got to walk out here and see you.”

Playfully holding a hand to your forehead as you pretended to become faint, John laughed.

“Well it’s true! You look beautiful, and I’d wait in the car for another 4 hours if I had to. But, I’ll wrap this up so we can get inside and you can get your feet off this cobblestone. Lovely to meet you, and I’ll see you in there.”

John pulled you in for a hug before heading up the stairs, Biz and Whit joining you as the three of you followed suit. Ready to welcome all of the guys as a group.

As you headed inside, the competition was now seeming like it was going to be more difficult than you’d imagined. Thinking of all of the guys that were inside waiting. All of the handsome, funny, talented athletes, full of personality. How the hell were you going to eliminate any of them tonight?

Entering the room the men had all been waiting in, you took a deep breath. Facing them all together made you nervous as they surely had been sizing each other up from the moment they’d all settled in. All of them smiling once they saw you walk in, a few whistles and cheers coming from the group while you found your place in front of them.

“Okay, well, we’ve made it this far! I can’t speak for Biz and Whit because I think they are one shot away from passing out on us. But, I just wanted to thank you all for being a part of this crazy journey. I find it hard to believe that the twelve of you would voluntarily put yourself through something like this, for me. And for a shot at love. I’m so excited to learn about each of you for who you are off the ice, because that comes first to me. I’m not paying attention to who in this group scores the most goals, who plays on the best team. I’m here looking to find my person, and I’m excited to know that one of you will be that guy.”

The guys cheered as your lovely hosts were passing around more Pink Whitney shots, as if they’d hadn’t had enough tonight already.

“Can you two even handle another shot?”

“Are you kidding? Pink Whitney is the official sponsor of ‘A Shot at Love’, and the best pink lemonade flavored vodka on the market. Of course we can handle another shot! Plus, we made the damn thing!”

Rolling your eyes you accepted the shot from Biz, the group holding their shots up as you proposed a toast.

“Well, I can guarantee with hosts like these there will never be a dull moment around here. Cheers to ’A Shot at Love’! Sorry Luke…promise we will get you something non-alcoholic for next week so you can still feel included.”

Everyone tossed back their shots, then placed the empty bottles on the table. Immediately the competition had begun as it was a race to who was going to ask you for some time alone first.

Jack Eichel appeared at your side, taking your hand as he asked if the two of you could talk, the other guys immediately groaning at his eagerness to steal you away.

The two of you found a spot in one of the side rooms, taking a seat on the sofa with a sigh as Jack laughed.

“Tough night so far?”

Shaking your head, you smiled as you weren’t trying to come across tired or anything with the night so far. “No no, just, nice to sit down! Heels on cobblestone do not mix.”

“Well if beauty is pain, you must be in agony because you look gorgeous tonight.”

Blushing at his words you couldn’t help but smile, softly biting at your lip the way the compliment just effortlessly rolled off his tongue.

“You’re a pretty smooth talker Mr. Eichel. How’s the night been for you? Probably weird seeing all these guys under one rough and you’re all competing in a different way than usual.”

He nodded his head as he chuckled, “you could definitely say that. It’s weird seeing some of the guys, only because they seem a bit out of place in my opinion. Like I know we were voted here by guys in the league, but some of these guys, I mean Luke Hughes? He’s 20, how much dating experience does that kid have? I just think it’s a little unfair to him that he found himself thrown into this you know?”

Nodding your head you were unsure what Jack’s intentions were with this conversation. It seems odd that he’d take his first opportunity to chat with you to talk about who he believes should and shouldn’t be in the house.

“Well, hey, he’s here right? So, either he will make the best of it and find love for himself. Or he won’t. But, I think that’s for him to worry about Jack, not you, you know?”

The conversation with Jack continued on, thankfully moving away from the focus on what guys were voted in the house, but soon enough you’d be interrupted by another man trying to steal your attention.

“Knock knock, times up Eichs.”

Jack looked over his shoulder to see Auston and he reluctantly got up, playfully whining that time went by too quick. Bidding you goodbye as he exited and allowed Auston to take a seat next to you.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

You could feel your smile had doubled in size from the moment Auston walked in. Something about him just gave you butterflies, and you almost felt embarrassed for how excited you were to see him.

“How are you?”

He took your hand in his as he watched you attentively, waiting for your response as you laughed. “I mean, it probably sounds wrong to say, but I’ve got 12 pretty amazing guys all in one house because they want to date me. That’s a pretty nice feeling I’d say?”

Auston laughed with you as he sipped his drink, nodding in agreement.

“I mean, I think we’d all be crazy not to be here, and any one of us would be lucky to walk away with you after this.”

Though all the guys had made a point to say that, you could hear the sincerity in Austin’s voice, he meant it.

“I guess I just wonder how some of you ended up here, or why. I feel like you all should be in relationships and unavailable, how do some of the league's best stars get voted here by their peers?”

He shrugged as he sighed, “because that’s just it, we’re stars, so we should have a girl on our arm. And there’s countless girls we could have on our arms. But, they aren’t there for the right reasons, because of who we are. I can’t speak for any of those guys, so I’m simply speaking for myself. I’m not here for a check, some screen time to promote myself, I’m here because I genuinely think you could be the girl I’ve been missing.”

You felt your heart practically melt at his words, something you’d only ever dreamed of hearing someone say to you.

“I can’t tell you how amazing that makes me feel, hearing you say that. Truly.”

He held your hand tighter as he could see you trying not to get emotional.

“I’ve been through my fair share of rough relationships, being used or played by guys. And, it’s not fun. Thinking you’ve found someone that loves you for you, and it turns out to just be a game to them. But I can hear in your voice how sincere you are, and you mean what you say. And that really just warms my heart. So thank you.”

“Well I’m happy to be the one to say those words to you. And I hope you really do trust me when I say, you’re going to find someone here. Whether it’s me, which I hope it is, or another one of these guys, you’ll find your person. I promise you that.”

Conversations continued throughout the night, some more awkward than others. Particularly with the younger guys like Matt Rempe and Luke Hughes. Both of them taking awhile to open up, but as soon as they did another guy was coming to take their place.

Jamie made a point to ask if you were serious about his shoulder massage, to which you told him if he won the date with you next week you’d promise to give him one.

Trevor and Cole were probably the most talkative out of any of the guys, both full of energy and constantly cracking jokes. Which you appreciated since you knew you needed to find a guy that could make you laugh, that was non-negotiable.

You were sure that Nico was thankful when Quinn came to interrupt the two of you. You’d been talking Nico’s ear off asking him about Switzerland, his taste in music, anything you could think of to get to know him better in the short amount of time. But little did you know he found it adorable, loving how sincerely interested you were in learning about where he’s from, and his interests. He wished he didn’t have to let anyone else have their time with you because he could’ve talked for hours.

Quinn noticed you were a bit talked out when he walked in, but he didn’t mind. Taking the league in telling you about himself, making a point to talk about his love for his family and how important they were to him. He expressed that his past relationship struggles weren’t exactly his fault, as he wanted to be sure the girl he chose to be with would love his family and vice versa. He was a picky sort of guy, but he wasn’t the type to waste anyone’s time when he knew what he wanted, and you appreciated that. Hearing him talk about his family and the love he had for them, it warmed your heart because you could only hope that you’d be the girl Quinn chose to meet his family one day.

As the night was winding down, with only a few guys left to talk to, you found yourself realizing that also meant an elimination was just around the corner.

“How the hell am I gonna do this?”

Questioning yourself as you paced the floor, your thoughts the only noise in the room, you tried to imagine who you would eliminate. But it seemed almost impossible to choose, they were all so amazing. Sure some conversations weren’t the best, but no one had given you a reason to say goodbye to them so soon. Not to mention you still needed to decide who would get the first rose of the night.

“Ugh!”

Letting out a groan you plopped back onto the couch in a huff, resting your head in your hands. The pressure of things weighing heavily on you as you tried to calm your nerves.

“Is now a bad time?”

Looking up you saw John poking his head in the room, a playful smile on his face as he waited for your invitation to join you.

“Now is actually a great time, please.”

A slight laugh came from you as John found a place on the couch, studying your expression and sensing how stressed you were. Before you could say anything more he pulled you into his chest, one hand rubbing your back while the other rested in your hair. You felt yourself melt in his embrace, that hug not what you’d expected, but everything you needed. John could feel you relax the moment his arms wrapped around you, a smile on his lips knowing such a small action could bring you so much comfort.

“Thank you, I, I really needed that.”

A soft blush on your cheeks as you pulled away, tucking some hair behind your ear as he smiled down at you.

“It’s okay to be stressed. This is a crazy experience, probably more for you than the rest of us. But, a crazy experience nonetheless.”

John’s hand rested on your thigh as his thumb traced circles over the fabric of your dress, simply enjoying being there with you in that moment and not needing to have conversation or ask you tons of questions that could add to your stress.

“Y/n, we’ve got 5 minutes before first rose.”

Biz popped his head in to give you the warning, a soft smile on your lips as you thanked him. Looking at John with a sigh, you apologized.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get time to really talk, I was busy being stressed.”

He wrapped you in a hug once more before heading off to rejoin the group. “Don’t apologize, I think we spent our time exactly how you needed it. And I’m happy to have helped in any way that I could’ve.”

Entering the room to see all of the guys once again, you could feel your heart beating out of your chest. Their eyes on you as you stood before them holding the first rose of the night. All of them were hopeful that their name would be called, knowing it would be a boost in confidence for them heading into next week.

As you scanned the room, you took a deep breath, a smile on your face as his name sat on your tongue, eager to shout it out and see his reaction. But you kept your composure, as you finally called his name.

[scribblesofagoonerr]

— It's so fluffy, I'm gonna die! | Glastonbury Series

here's the second part of this small mini series i have been working so hard to create over the past week, this is one of my favourites so i hope you all enjoy it!

yet again a massive thank you to @alotofpockets and @lvnleah for the ongoing help throughout writing this and putting up with me throwing ideas at them all the time.

pairings: leah williamson x reader!monkey

summary: the first day of the festival, leah let's loose with the alcohol and monkey definitely does take advantage about the fact that leah is drunk and she can get what she wants, more so use her bank card to the extreme without her knowing

you can check out the whole masterlist here: chaos fc masterlist

As the night draws on, you watch Leah get more and more drunk and she definitely did let her hair down.

You definitely do enjoy seeing this side of her though and you can definitely take advantage of it even.

"Le, can I have my bank card? I wanna go get another drink," You have to shout over the volume of the music to get her attention as she clumsily stumbles around until she looks at you in suspicion, "Come on, I'm not going to go wild with it!"

"You better not!" The blonde slurs, pointing her index finger at you, "Be the sensible Monkey that you are!"

You laugh as she digs through her purse and hands you your card. There have been a few things around the festival that of course had caught your eye and Leah had refused to buy you them so why not buy them now?

Straightaway, you immediately make a beeline to the stand that you'd passed earlier that is selling stuffed teddies, "One unicorn please!" You grin before tapping your card and paying for it.

Sliding your bank card into your pocket, you're still beaming a wide smile as you eagerly clutch your giant unicorn, "Best purchase ever!"

Now you just have the task of taking it back to the tent so you can hide it from Leah until morning at least when it'll be too late to take it back.

"Boo!" Holly sneaks up behind you as you start to head in the direction of where you distinctly remember coming from where the tents were set up in camp, "Where are you off?" She questions, curiously.

"U... Uh, nowhere!" You stutter, quickly working to shove the giant stuffed unicorn behind your back because if it's out of sight then it's out of mind.

Holly quirks in her eyebrow in amusement, "Really? Who're you tryin' to fall here-- What's that behind your back?" She wonders, trying to take a closer look.

"What thing?" You try and play it off like you really don't know what she is on about, tightly clutching the unicorn and praying that it doesn't drop on the floor, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can literally see it poking out behind your back," The older woman states in amusement, "What you got?" She repeats her words.

Biting your lip, you slowly pull the giant unicorn out from behind your back and look at her innocently, "Don't tell Le, please!" You all but plead now.

"Oh, Monkey," Holly finds it hard to stifle her laughter, "Is this you being sensible with your money, huh?" She teases you, ruffling your hair.

You pout at the older women and tightly clutch your unicorn in your hand, "Leah wouldn't buy me one when I asked, so I just did it myself! She's too drunk to even care right as well-- Will you please help me hide it from her?" You ask.

Hesitantly, Holly agrees with this as she nods, "Alright, come on... If she asks, I didn’t have anything to do with this!"

"Deal!" You exclaim a bit louder than necessary, "It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!" You can't help but quote one of the beloved Minion films you have watched previously.

But there's still nothing better than Shrek, of course.

Nor Marvel.

"Did you seriously just quote despicable me?" Holly can't help but laugh in amusement as the two of you walk back to camp.

"Yes... Yes, I did!" You nod proudly as you make it to the campsite and you suddenly pause in sudden realisation as your eyes widen, "Oh no! I should have gotten Buddy something!"

"We're back at the tent now, it's okay we'll go back and pick one up for her on the way back to the tent later on instead. Maybe a dinosaur?" The older woman suggests kindly, squeezing your shoulder gently.

Grinning in agreement, you carefully place the unicorn inside the tent for safe keeping, "Awesome, or should I say Roar-Some!" You joke with the woman.

"Come on Monkey," The blonde leads you back in the direction of where the festival is, "I can understand why Le calls you a Menace sometimes now." She states in amusement.

"I'm not even that bad, Leah exaggerates sometimes that's all!" You tell her as you shrug your shoulders, "I still gotta take advantage to find more things to buy on my card before she realises!"

"Are you sure about that?" Holly doesn't seem so convinced as you spot a cash machine and have the brainwave to take some money out, "Is this a good idea?" She wonders.

"I see it as," Shrugging your shoulders, you pop your card in the machine and punch in your pin, "Call it compensation right now."

"Compensation, for what?" Holly laughs in amusement.

"Compensation for having to put up with Leah's drunk ass," You remark as your card slots back out and you stuff it in your pockets along with the small wad of cash and continue to walk back to them.

Of course it's not long until you get distracted.

"Oh, stop! I see it, I love it and I want it!" With the tap of your card on the machine, you now proudly own both of them.

"What's with the cowboy hat... And the neon light?" Holly questions amusedly as she shakes her head.

Shrugging your shoulders, you adjust it on your head and start to walk back to the group, "It seemed like a good idea, so I did it cos' that is how you should live your life!"

"That is not a motto you should live by," Holly tells you in disagreement as she laughs, "Come on cowgirl, before they wonder where we've got too."

With a few purchases in hand, you walk back to the group. You are now extremely happy with the cowboy hat you spotted on the way back and a neon green flashing light that you found fascinating and it was just screaming out for you to buy.

"Hi drunky, we're back!" You grin at the blonde and lean up on your tip-toes to hug her from behind, and of course being in the drunken state that she is, she is more than willing to accept the hug.

"Monkey!" Leah exclaims, doing no more than turning around, lifting you off the ground and spinning you around, "Have you been sensible?" She slurs.

Just how much has she drunk while you were gone?

"I'm always sensible," You reply in agreement as you can't help but laugh at her antics.

"No, you are not," Leah slurs as she playfully pokes you on the nose.

"How drunk are you?" You question, not hiding your laughter.

The blonde gasps in shock horror, "I am not drunk! I can... I can tell the time!" She insists, eagerly.

You snicker in amusement, "Sure, you keep on telling yourself that one," Turning to look at Holly for confirmation, "She is so drunk, innit?" You ask her.

"She's just having a good time," Holly laughs at her cousin's current state of drunkenness, "But she will definitely have a sore head in the morning of course."

Leah still continues to cling onto you, "You're my cheeky Monkey! I love you! I do, I love you a lot!" She states, loud and proud.

"I love you too, Le... Even when you're as drunk as you are," You respond as you find her leaning her head on your neck with a bit of height difference.

"I'm serious!" Leah slurs as she continues to rest her head on your shoulder, "You are a pain sometimes but you are a pain that I love so, so much!" She tells you and it makes you smile hearing her say that, because despite how annoying you can get at times, she still loves you.

"I love the way she fills her clothes. She looks just like them girls in vogue. I love the way she plays it cool-- Oh my God. I love this band!" It’s your turn to scream at the top of your voice, pretty much deafening Leah considering you’re sitting on her shoulders and having the absolute time of your life listening to one of your favourite bands.

Is it such a good idea to do that when she’s had a lot of drinks?

Eh, probably not.

What is the worst that can happen?

Right now you feel like a dream come true to be here and it feels a completely surreal experience.

“Best time ever!” You continue to scream and dance to the music, having trust in Leah to not drop you on your head, “I think that she is beautiful…”

“Sing it loud, Monkey!” Leah encourages you loudly, keeping her arms draped around your legs so you’re a bit stable, but right now in the moment you are enjoying yourself too much to care.

“You know this song word for word?” Grace chimes in, looking at you in amusement.

“She’s so lovely, she’s so lovely, she’s so lovely, she’s so lovely, she’s so lovely, she’s so lovely, she’s so lovely!” You still continue to scream the lyrics on repeat, throwing your hands up in the air while having an absolute blast.

“And she continues,” Holly jokes with you.

“She’s pretty, a fitty. She’s got a boyfriend and that’s a pity. She’s flirty turned thirty!” You sing but more like continue to scream the lyrics down the blonde ear.

“What film is this even from?” Holly asks, curiously.

You peer down and gasp at her dramatically, “Angus Thongs and perfect snogging, of course! How… How didn’t you know that?” You question in disbelief, “You’re, like, old enough to know it!”

“I can’t believe you just called me old– She did just call me old, right?” The older woman looks around in disbelief, offended that you literally called her old.

“I did!” You don’t hesitate to quip in agreement, “Let down, complete let down! Anybody that doesn’t know this band or the movie is a fuckin’ let down!”

“Monkey, reign in a bit,” Leah slurs, very much not in the state to even scold you right now with the state that she is in, “Be a nice Monkey!”

“She’s fine, don’t worry about it. She’s having a good time!” Holly waves her off in disagreement as she laughs.

“Yeah, she’s just accepting that she is old,” You remark, sticking your tongue at the older blonde woman.

“Wha… Is she always like this?” Holly questions in disbelief, “I’m just getting constantly insulted here by this kid. I… I didn’t sign up for this!” She jokes.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so. I'm sorry in advance for her like this," Leah slurs her apology, “You have to be nice, Monkey!”

“Nah. Get used to it,” You grin at the older blonde, who still pretends to look offended.

“Monkey,” Leah can’t stifle her laughter, “Be nice, you cheeky monkey!”

You would probably take her more seriously if she wasn’t slurring her speech while trying to lecture you, but right now she is too funny to handle.

“I’m only havin’ fun and winding her up,” You remark without even thinking about it, “I can’t help that’s my personality!”

It’s later in the evening and you’re now standing beside Holly, who is the most sober out of everyone, watching Dua Lipa perform on stage.

Meanwhile Leah is sitting on one of her friends shoulders, having the time of her life, throwing her hands up in the air and jamming to the music.

It’s hard to even know how much she has drunk at this point and you’re definitely surprised that she hasn’t managed to fall down considering how much she’s moving about up there.

Going back to the tent at the end of the night will be a fun experience…

“Woohoo! I like this one!” You shout enthusiastically, bopping your head to the beat of the music.

Holly smiles at your enthusiasm, “How’re you not tired, kid?” She wonders, curiously.

“I’m not old like the rest of you lot,” You remark, sticking your tongue out at her, “What’s your excuse?”

“Wow. You are so cheeky sometimes,” The blonde tells you as she shakes her head in amusement.

“It’s my personality, I can’t help it!” Shrugging your shoulders, you look over to where Leah is indeed having a great time on her friends shoulders still, “Le is still havin’ the time of her life as well!”

Holly glances at her cousin and smiles, “Yeah, she is. It’s nice to see her letting her hair down though. The past several months with her injury have been difficult for her.”

You couldn’t help but nod in agreement, having to watch the blonde suffer with her ACL injury was horrible and you just wanted to help her out in any way that you could do, even if that was to help out taking care of Buddy more. 

You would never turn down spending more time with your favourite little buddy. 

It’s great to finally have her back on the pitch again, even if she’s still bossy about things and all.

"Yeaaaah! Come on, come on, let's get physical!" The blonde that your on about screams the lyrics out loud as another one of her friends films her. 

You can't help but snicker, "You can say she is enjoying herself-- I'm not carrying her back to the tent tonight!"

"I'll handle it, don't worry," Holly tells you.

"Phew!" You exclaim, dramatically.

Leah definitely is letting her hair down tonight, drinking and partying on her friends shoulder and you couldn't really blame her because she is always too stern in your own opinion sometimes.

"Le! Leah!” You shout aloud to get her attention, continuing to poke and prod her just to annoy her, “Leeaaaahhhh!"

"Hi monkey!" The blonde beams a wide smile at you and drunkenly slings her arm around you once she’s gotten off her friends shoulders. 

"You're drunk!" You exclaim in amusement, leaning your body against her as you can start to feel the exhaustion hit.

Also hunger, you could kill for a pizza right now!

"Nope, I am... I am totally fine!" Leah slurs her speech.

"Nuh uh! You are completely drunk!" You disagree with the blonde.

"I think it's time we start heading back to the tent now," Holly suggests, catching onto the way her cousin is struggling to stand up without your support.

"I'm hungry!" You complain to the sober blonde, "Can we get pizza?" She wonders.

Holly laughs and nods in agreement, "We can get you something on the way back to the tent, let's just focus on getting little miss drunk over here back there right now."

"Good luck with that! I don't think she's in any state to even walk-- I already said I'm not carrying her back!" You insist, firmly, to get your point across.

"I got it, it's fine... Come on, Le. We're gonna go back to the tent," Holly tries to pull Leah in the direction of the walk back to the tents.

"Aw, what? No. The night is still young!" Leah protests, shaking her head.

Holly chuckles and shakes her head, "Yeah, but you've had a lot to drink. It's best we call it a night," she turns to the rest of her friends, "We're gonna go back to the tents. See you all in the morning."

"Awh, don't be a buzzkill Hol!" Leah shouts aloud, literally using your own words against her cousin.

"Hey, there my words!" You whine in protest, "We still have to get food!" You remind the older blonde of the two, who is somewhat trying to pull the blonde in the direction of where the tents are set up.

"Ooo, food. Let's get kebabs!" Leah pipes up.

You screw your face up in confusion, "Le, you don't even like kebabs?"

Leah points her finger at you, booping you on the nose once again, "I don't care! I... I need a kebab!"

"Nuh uh, let's get pizza instead!" You protest, you're not a massive kebab’s at all but on the other hand, pizza right now sounds great.

"Nope, a kebab will be better!" Leah continues to insist.

You can't help but groan, "But you don't like them, pizza is so much better!"

"Well right now I want a kebab and you... you have to listen to me because I am older than you, Monkey!" Leah slurs, trying to once again boop you on the nose but misses due to her stumbling around.

"Seriously? That isn't fair!" You exclaim in annoyance, furrowing your eyebrow, "Holly, tell her that ain't fair!" You turn to look at the older woman for help.

Holly let out a laugh and shakes her head, "Relax, kid. I'll get you pizza like you want afterwards."

"Winning!" You shout aloud in excitement as you begrudgingly navigate your way through the crowd, Leah stumbles a bit behind you and you can’t help but giggle as Holly has to keep a firm grip on her to prevent her from falling. 

The smell from the various food stalls waft through the air and your stomach growls in response.

The hot dog you ate previously did not do much to fill you up at all. 

"Can I get two kebabs, please," Holly turns her attention to the man in the food van, before she digs her own bank card out and taps it on the machine to pay. 

Leah leans against the counter with her eyes half closed, “Smells soooo good,” She murmurs. 

A few minutes later, the vendor hands Holly the kebabs and she hands one to the blonde, who takes a bite and her eyes widen, “This tastes amazing!”

“Guarantee you won’t even remember any of this tomorrow,” You state, grinning at Leah, who’s too busy savouring the kebab she’s currently eating.

So much for her being a picky eater, right now.

Of course you took photo evidence to prove to her that she did in fact eat this that you can’t wait to show her when she’s sober.

While watching the two of them happily munch kebabs, your stomach grumbles again, "Alright, can we please get pizza now?" You question. 

"Alright, come on little miss impatient," Holly nods in agreement, walking in the direction where the pizza truck is not too far ahead.

"Yes, race you there!" You took off running before the two of them even have a chance to realise you have bolted as you reach the pizza food stall and your eyes light up in glee, "Hi! Can I have a BBQ chicken pizza, please-- Wait, do you guys serve just slices or is it like a whole pizza?" You wonder.

"Whole pizzas," The man replies to your question.

"Even better then! Yeah, I'll take a BBQ chicken one, please!" You ask the man, taking the advantage of having your card right now as the blonde still hadn't even realised due to her own drunken state of mind, you tap your card on your machine and slot it back in your pocket.

"M... Monkey!" You hear the familiar voice call out your name before you turn around and see the two blondes have eventually caught up to you, "You can't run off like that-- Remember, there's big crowds!" She slurs her words.

"I'd take you a lot more seriously if you weren't stumbling around the way that you are," You remark, grinning at Leah who tries her best to glare at you, "Really, I am so scared of you right now, I'm highly terrified. I am!" It's just too easy to wind her up right now.

"You get your pizza, kid?" Holly laughs, trying to keep a grip on Leah who is stumbling about the place.

"Waiting on it now-- Hey, gimme me cowboy hat back!" You whine in protest, feeling it being swiped off your head, "Le!"

"Nope, it's mine now!" Leah slurs, proud of herself as she puts it on her own head.

"Le!" You grumble in annoyance, "Give it back!" You try to reach for it, standing on your tip toes but she has the advantage over you with her height.

"Monkey, here's your pizza," Holly accepts the pizza of the vendor and thanks them since you were too busy trying to fight for your hat back instead, "Okay, what'd I miss here?"

"Tell her to give me my hat back," You still continue to glare at Leah, "I brought it and she'll just lose it with the state that she is in!"

Leah gasps in shock horror, "You don't know that. I... I love this thing!" She states.

"Yeah, but Le, it's mine so give it back!" You don't care if you're whining and making a scene right now when you want your hat back and the drunken blonde is holding it hostage, "Give it back!" 

"Nope, it's mine!" Leah slurs, continuing to wind you up, "It suits me so much better!" 

Starting to jump up to try and reach it, you scowl at her, "Give it... Give it back!" With one final jump, you manage to knock it off her head and grin in victory, "Ha! It's my hat, you get your own!"

Holly laughs and shakes her head at your usual antics, "Alright, come on. Let's try and get back to the tent in one piece without a fight breaking out," She jokes, directing the way towards the tents.

"She started it!" You point your finger in accusation at the blonde, who is now back to happily munching on her kebab again.

"I know, I know. Come on," Holly murmurs, remaining to keep her grip on Leah, who is more concerned about her kebab rather than where she is going, "Careful, Le. Watch your step."

"I'm so gonna laugh if she falls on her face!" You comment, finding the whole scenario absolutely hilarious and of course you have your phone out to video it.

"Nearly there now," Holly has to virtually pull Leah towards your own tent, "No, Le! That's the wrong tent, don't go in that one!" She shouts, dragging the drunk blonde away from it.

"Oh this is hilarious. Hold on, hold on!" You're quick to react and pull your phone out again, "I'm getting this on video-- Le, you ain't living this one down, at all!" You exclaim, having great joy watching the blonde making a fool of herself.

"Come on, Le," Holly says, the exhaustion sounds clear in her voice as she guides her cousin in the direction of the correct tent, "It's this tent, there we go... You just sit here and uh, you'll be fine. I'll be back with some water-- Just don't move!"

Flopping down inside the tent, you can't help but snicker at the blonde, who seems in her own world as she still continues to munch on the remainders of her kebab, "You are so drunk and this is hilarious to witness right now," You tell her as you start to open the pizza box and tear a slice out to eat, "You're definitely gonna regret this tomorrow... And I can't wait to wind you up about it!" You say with a mouthful of food.

© scribblesofagoonerr

[eat-limes-bitches]

Nowhere else I'd Rather Be

PAIRING: Female Reader x Bucky Barnes

SUMMARY: Soft blues and sunsets make for the perfect wedding.

SONGS: Entrance (0:42 if you want the specific time), Y/n's vows, Bucky's vows

WARNINGS: FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF

Word Count:

A/N: So here it is! The last installment of this, mini-series I guess! I had such a blast writing this and between you and me, I had fully intended on waiting to post this until I was back from my horse show next week, but I couldn't wait. No way in hell, so I hope you enjoy it! If you have any ideas for future writings, my ask box is looking a little empty and sad! Send some ideas my way!

Italics are memories, bold italics are song lyrics

Part 1 | Part 2

Enjoy! <3

Divider by Rookthorne

(3 YEARS LATER)

To say he was nervous would be an understatement. Bucky frantically fiddled with his tie, looking at the color, which caused him to smile for a moment. It was blue, but not bright, soft. Like worn denim. The same blue that matched the upholstery on the deep oak chairs that lined the dried flower petal pathway to where he was standing. The soft fall breeze caused a few of the petals to swirl around at his feet, reminding him of why he was here in the first place.

Bucky heard her humming from the other room when he got home from his morning run. Kicking off his shoes, he followed the sound of the humming to find Y/n plucking the drying petals off of the most recent bouquet, carefully depositing each petal into a glass jar.

“What’cha doing doll?” He called out, startling Y/n causing her to drop the flower she was currently working on.

“Jesus Buck! You scared me!” The pout that appeared on her face caused a chuckle to rumble in his chest. He swept her up in his arms, placing a kiss on her temple.

“Sorry darlin’. Didn’t mean to scare ya.” Y/n hummed in delight as Bucky tightened his embrace.

“Well, if you must know-” She teased, spinning in his arms to face him, “I'm saving the flower petals from the bouquets you give me.”  

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “Can I ask why?”

Y/n just smiled.  “Someday, when we get married, I want to use the flower petals from all of the flowers you have given me to decorate the aisle I walk down towards you.”

A hand on his shoulder snapped Bucky back to the present. 

“Hey man, you good? You looked a little lost there for a moment.” Sam said, brushing off Bucky’s suit. Bucky let out a shaky breath and smiled. 

“Yeah, jus’ thinkin’ bout how we got here.”  

Sam nodded his head and gave Bucky another pat on the shoulder before resuming his spot as best man. As he stood there, Bucky looked around at everyone who was there. Y/n’s immediate family was there of course, along with a couple of dear friends in her bridal party. On Bucky’s side, he had Sam and Torres as his groomsmen, and sitting in the crowd, he saw Suri sitting up front with both of Sam’s nephews, to help with the rings, Sarah was sitting nearby with a gentle smile on her face as she visited with the other folks. The kid who worked the counter at Joe’s on Saturdays, Howie, was there too smiling up at Bucky. Most of Sam’s family, who had accepted Bucky as one of their own were in the crow as well, mingling with Y/n’s family. Sam was gracious enough to let the couple use the backyard of the house for the small wedding.

The pair were a few weeks into wedding planning when the talk of location and size came up. 

“How big is this whole thing gonna be, doll?” Bucky asked as he looked at the different swatches of blue fabric sitting on their coffee table.  

Y/n sighed, “Would it be bad if I said I didn’t want a lot of people there? 50 at most?” Bucky looked up from the fabrics to meet Y/n’s gaze.

“Not at all.” He said with a smile, reaching for her hand across the table. “I think a small wedding is just our style if we are being completely honest.” Y/n smiled sweetly at him before resuming her mission to find the flowers she wanted.

“I think you are right. Do you think Sam would let us use the backyard of the house in Louisiana? It's so quiet, and in the fall when those big trees in the backyard are changing color? Underneath that willow tree? Oh, Bucky I think it’d be perfect!” 

Y/n was gushing at the idea, and with the way her eyes sparkled as she described the scene, Bucky was willing to do just about anything to make that dream a reality for her, and of course, as soon as he asked Sam, he said yes.

Bucky blinked back into the present. The fairy lights were starting to show their glow hanging from the branches of the willow tree, swaying gently in the breeze. The sun was just starting to set, the inky purples and blues of the evening starting to slip into the sky, just letting the stars peak out through all of the colors dancing above them. The colors of the leaves danced in the golden light, reflecting off the water nearby, creating a beautiful mosaic of color all around the crowd of people.  Suddenly the music changed. The filler music that had been playing for how long now, Bucky didn’t know, but he did know the song that was playing, it was the song that they danced to that night in the living room when Bucky decided that she was the one for him.

The pair had been cooking dinner, but when the next song on Y/n’s playlist came on, her eyes lit up, matching the smile that found its way onto her face.

“Oh Bucky I love this song! I know it’s not really slow dancing music but will you dance with me?” 

Bucky chuckled as he swept her into the middle of their kitchen. He spun her just as the chorus started and what happened next sealed his fate forever. As she spun, she laughed, one of the most beautiful sounds Bucky had ever heard. The golden rays of the sun danced off of her hair casting a golden glow in the room around them. When she was back in his arms, he pulled her close and pressed his forehead to hers.

“Marry me?” He asked softly. Y/n’s breath froze, perpetually stuck in her lungs.

“What?” She whispered, staring up at him wide-eyed. 

Bucky looked at her. “Y/F/N Y/L/N, will you marry me? I swear I’ll do this again, proper with a ring and everythin’ but I gotta know darling, will you marry me?”

Right as the same chorus started, Y/n appeared at the end of the aisle from Bucky. Sometime during his reminiscing, everyone had stood up and watched her appear, and now were now watching him as he took in the love of his life, standing there in white, bouquet of sunflowers, spray roses, and chamomile in her hands as she started walking towards him. Bucky couldn’t think of a single thing he had done right in his incredibly long life to deserve to be standing where he was right now, but he was forever grateful. 

Time flew by and before he knew it it was time for their vows. Y/n went first. 

“Bucky, ever since I’ve met you we’ve had a lot of learning and growing we have done over our three years together, one of the most noticeable things I have learned is when you go quiet, and won't let your guard down, I hear through the silence that you're trying to figure it out. You're trying to make me proud, believe me now, Baby, to the Moon and back

I still love you more than that. When your skies are grey, and your whole world is shaking

To the Moon and back, I love you more than that.”  

Bucky’s Adam's apple bobbed furiously up and down as the tears streamed down his face. He pulled the pocket square out of his suit pocket and tried to stop the tears flowing down his cheeks but to no avail, they had started flowing the moment Y/n had appeared at the end of the aisle. Steadying himself with a breath, Bucky began his vows.

I remember when I saw you at the movies, and to me, you were a stranger in the room.

But to my surprise, I met your eyes and that was when I knew. Yeah without a doubt, I took you out for coffee. We sat for hours at a table made for two. I love the flowers in your footprints and the sparkle in your eyes. It doesn't matter if it rains or shines cuz I'll be by your side. For the record, you're my treasure, I love you more and more, and after all that we've been through, I can say it, you're my favorite and you'll always be my muse and I hope that in your heart you know it's true.” 

Sam’s nephews brought up the rings, and with a little help from Suri, Bucky had a ring on his finger, identical to the one decorating Y/n’s hand. After the preacher said ‘You may now kiss the bride’ The rest of the evening was a blur for the couple. But once the party was in full swing and they took a rest from dancing, Bucky pulled Y/n into his arms, pressed a kiss to her temple, and whispered in her ear, “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, than here with you.”

[kithtaehyung]

3tan slice:

yoongi watching reader get ready 🍊

stopppp i love this :((( this is for the 3tan yoongi and irl yoongi missers (at least, one of the things i have planned<;333)

"How about this one?"

Oh, you're back already. Adjusting his arm, Yoongi lifts his head to check his phone screen, wondering if you're gonna pass up this next dress too despite him liking the hell out of it.

"Is that new?"

Your smile is truly one of his favorite things.

"Yeah! Got it when I went shopping with Yuri. Well. She made me get it."

When you pout, do you know how it affects him?

Yoongi just huffs through his nose, settling into the crook of his elbow and letting the warmth of afternoon coat his shoulder. Casting a quick look out his blinds, he wishes you were here instead, coming in and out of another closet that comes to mind.

"Is it bad? Damn."

"Huh?" Shit, he never answered out loud. "Nah, that's the one."

"Oh, okay. You didn't say anything."

Still his problem. A million thoughts, with nowhere to go. "Sorry, doll. Just thinking."

You're in the middle of undressing offscreen, which is yet another thing he finds incredibly endearing. He can only see one of your elbows peek into the frame as you question,

"Work again?"

"You," he corrects, full of sleepiness and void of hesitation.

"Oh."

Eyes fully shut, Yoongi doesn't lift them again until you fetch for another opinion. Which is longer than he expects because you go fully silent for a bit.

"Okay, how's this?"

His eyes flicker open seconds before his heart skips.

Fuck.

He hasn't felt his chest beat like that in a minute.

Are words coming out this time? Or is his tongue as uncooperative as his brain? Why can't he say the simplest shit when you're just standing in front of him? Fuck, he can't even articulate anything but he just knows you're fucking beautiful.

When the hell did you steal his voice, too?

"I'll let you sleep," you whisper, and he hates how down you sound because should never have a reason to feel that way. "Just text me when you can, yeah?"

If he can't say how he feels, Yoongi goes for the second option. And he's not letting that one fail. "Come over when you're done."

"Wait, what?"

He adjusts his head again, slanting a bit higher to admire everything about you. "After your dinner."

"You need to sleep..."

Why are you so considerate when it comes to him? What did he ever do to deserve anything you're willing to give? He's thought about these things so much that they take up most of his sleepless, tired nights. "You're gonna keep me up looking like that anyway."

"But.. what about.."

"I won't take long."

"You sure?"

"No."

God. Yoongi will never, ever get over the ways you try to hide that shyness. There's no way he can stop his grin, and when you make him swear it will be quick, he also can't stop himself from teasing yet again,

"Depends on how long you last."

"Alright, bye," you deadpan, giving him sweet rejection and hitting him where it hurts so good. But you smile once more, agreeing to come over but only for a tiny, tiny bit.

"That's all I need, doll."

"Prove it."

Oh.

He intends to.

Because you can make him speechless for now.

But when it comes to showing you how he feels?

There's no way you're shutting his ass up.

-

-

3tanslices: mini-scenarios!

series: three tangerines

[thesakuragarnet]

Crimes Of Passion (Dabi X Fem! Reader)

Summary: It's been a decade since your best friend, Toya Todoroki, perished at the hands of his own Quirk. You always liked to think he was watching over you, looking over your shoulder, keeping you out of harm's way in a guardian angel sense. After all, you'd devoted your life to making equipment to ensure that never happened to anyone else. But lately, you've felt like you're ACTUALLY being watched.

[Part one of my Yandere Dabi X Support Course Graduate Fem!Reader mini series]

THIS WORK IS 18+ ONLY! S3XUAL TAGS WILL BE HIDDEN BELOW THE KEEP READING BUTTON!

Non-Spicy Tags: canon-typical v!0lence, swearing, smut, Yandere-ish Dabi, childhood friends, innuendo, stalker/feral Dabi, Support Course Graduate Fem!Reader, Second Person POV

Word Count: 2,435 words

AO3 link

Spicy Tags: slight dubcon, sexy in theory problematic in practice, explicit s3xual content, vag!nal fingering, dirty talk, making out, dubcon kissing, alley s3x, quirk use during s3x, c0me eating, cr3ampie, cunn!lingus, vag!nal s3x, semi-public s3x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

You were working late at the office again. You'd spent all night drafting plans for your latest creation; it was a special request from a client. This Support Item would help the user maintain their body temperature...something that you took close to heart. Your best friend could've used such a thing...maybe if he had, he'd still be alive. Everyone else had already left. It was too far to walk home. You'd have to take the night train. 

...

It's hard for you to not fall asleep as you lean your head up against the window, eyelids drooping as the train runs through the dark tunnels beneath the city. In fact, you barely noticed when the group of shady-looking men got in the same train car as you. A chill runs down your spine when you hear them whispering to one another, and, instantly, you're wide awake. You look outside, realizing your stop is next. Something is telling you to get off the train ASAP...to get away from these men. As soon as possible. The car screeches to a stop, and, without a second thought, you bolt off the train. You didn't live in the best part of town, and the street is dimly lit when you exit the subway. You steal a glance over your shoulder...and realize they're following you. 

'Fuck.' 

Your mind starts racing, trying to think of a way to lose them. They're getting closer...walking faster. Immediately, you dart into a side alleyway, hoping to lose them through the side streets...only for it to be a dead end. You turn around, and they're closing in...

THUD. 

Out of nowhere, a figure leaps down from the rooftops, landing unnaturally gracefully in front of you. The stranger is tall, dressed in all black, and, in the dim moonlight, you see his hands. Scars trace down his arms, stopping at his wrists, which are full of crude surgical staples. 

"I suggest you four go back the way you came," The figure orders. His voice is deep and raspy...kinda sexy. The thugs are unimpressed. 

"What the hell are you?"

"Your face makes me wanna puke!"

"Keep looking at me like that and I'll kill ya!"

They start jeering, continuing to move closer. The mysterious figure raises his arm, and, suddenly, a brilliant cerulean glow flickers off the alleyway walls. 

"You're not going to touch her," He orders coldly. The men laugh. 

"Oh, yeah? And who's gonna stop us?"

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

You scream as the rush of heat and light surges through the alleyway; a frighteningly powerful blue blaze erupts from the man, engulfing the group immediately in flames. Their shrieks of pain are rather short, and the light dies down to flickers and embers within a few seconds. The smell of burned flesh fills the air, and smoke begins to rise. 

"That answer your question?" The man chuckles under his breath, putting his hand back down. He shakes his wrist, and you notice it's smoking. The man turns on his heel, and your eyes widen. His face looks like a mess of patchwork scars and staples, sweeping under his eyes, over his cheekbones, and around his neck. 

"Stay away from me!" You shout, reaching for the pepper spray in your purse as your bones shake. Terror fills your lungs along with the smoke and ashes. 

"What? No 'thank you'? I just saved your life," The figure pouts mockingly, staring into your soul. His eyes are as blue as the flames that shot out of his hand. 

Something about this man...is hauntingly familiar. The way he speaks to you seems unnaturally natural. It's not in the way a stranger would. 

"Who are you?" 

"You'd think you'd recognize your guardian angel when you see him in person. That's what you call me, right? At least when you talk to yourself, acting like I'm some imaginary friend sitting on a cloud over you. Well...," He smirks, taking a threatening step closer. You freeze. 

"Toya?"

"In the burned flesh," He grins sarcastically, gesturing to his scars. 

"That's impossible. My best friend is dead," You stammer, but the longer you look at him, the less you believe your own words. 

Those eyes. The mannerisms.

"Come on, princess."

You hate the way your body responds to that word. The way it shakes you to your core when it rolls off his tongue. 

"You know it's me," He sings, a cruel smirk on his face as he walks forward, forcing your back against the wall. You gulp, feeling your heart race faster and faster. His glowing cerulean eyes bore into you. 

"Am I making you uncomfortable," The villain sneers, looking down at you with a hungry gaze. Lust. Obsession. Greed. You wordlessly shake your head. This shouldn't turn you on. This should make you run away screaming, absolutely terrified. It partially did terrify you...but...in a sickly thrilling way. The overwhelming familiarity and tension...you're spellbound. 

"All you have to do," He murmurs, slowly leaning down, hands moving to splay out on each side of your head, "is tell me 'no'."

You close your eyes, and you feel his lips meet yours. The moment you give in, kissing him back, you feel his hands on your shoulders...squeezing them tightly over and over...as if he's trying to restrain himself from tearing you apart. You reach up, running your hands through his hair, and a chuckle rumbles in his throat as he wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you flush to him. His tongue flicks against your lip, and the moment you give even a hint of admittance, he practically sticks it down your throat. A strangled whimper muffles in your throat in surprise, and you melt into his arms, trying not to slide down the wall as you feel your legs turning to jelly. The feeling of his impossibly warm tongue tracing along your own makes your eyelids flutter, and when you two part, a strand of saliva connects your lips. He traces kisses down your jaw before roughly pushing your hair back and ever so softly sinking his teeth into your neck. You sigh, feeling his fingers wander down your body, as if he's trying to memorize every inch of you. Slowly, they dance further and further south...pausing just above the waistband of your panties. Gently, he slips his hand below them, and you gasp as his fingers trace your slit. 

"Fuck, you're wet, princess," He shudders, sucking on your neck harder, and his other hand presses into your back, grabbing a fistful of your clothing. 

"Toya," You moan softly, "We shouldn't be doing thi-"

"Shut up," He rasps harshly in your ear before effortlessly pressing a finger inside you, "If you don't like what I'm doing then tell me. I'll stop."

You take a deep breath, focusing on the feeling of his thumb rubbing slow circles on your clit as he curls his fingers intentionally. Another moan crawls out of you before you can restrain yourself, and you give in to the temptation. Everything he's doing feels so good. No one's ever touched you this way before. No one's ever made your heart race quite like this. It's exhilarating. He plants more kisses on your neck, borderline groaning into each kiss, the subtle noises vibrating against your skin. 

"You taste so fucking good," He hums between sloppy kisses, tracing his tongue up the side of your neck as you feel warmth pooling in the pit of your stomach. "God, the things I wanna do to you."

It sounds like a threat, a promise, and a desperate plea all in one. It shouldn't, but it gives you butterflies. 

"Like what?" You sigh, hooking your fingers into his loose belt. He jerks ever so slightly, as if the touch caught him completely off guard. You pause, worrying you've overstepped a boundary, but he soon leans forward, as if begging you to continue. 

"Tell me what you wanna do, Toya," You murmur as you trace your fingers below, and you feel his arousal through his jeans. 

"I wanna drown you in pleasure until you can't stop begging me for more," He whispers in your ear, "I wanna make you come until you can't fucking think." 

Zzzzip. 

His breath hitches as you unbuckle his belt and unzip his jeans, pulling out his throbbing cock. Without a second thought, he pulls his fingers out of you and forces your pants down until they fall to your ankles. 

"I owe you, right?" You huff as he looks into your eyes, and he grins deviously. 

"I've wanted to fuck you so bad, princess," Toya rasps, his gravelly voice tingling your ears as his hot breath pants against your skin. You feel his hands reach underneath you, gripping the flesh on your ass as he picks you up, firmly pressing your back against the wall. You flinch when he presses the tip against your entrance. It's hot. Not too hot...but hot. 

"I'm gonna burn you from the inside out," He murmurs, his deep voice tilting on a villainous laugh. Your eyes widen, heart racing. When he notices, he clicks his tongue. 

"Just a figure of speech, princess. I'd never hurt you...not unless you wanted it," He snickers before slowly lowering you down onto his cock. You gasp as he slides in, eyes rolling back in your head. It's bigger than you expected. It feels like he's practically splitting you open, and the pain is daunting. Nonetheless, you can't help but crave more. You want him to break you. You want him to shove it as far as it'll go. You want him to rearrange your guts until your mind turns to mush. 

"Easy there, gorgeous," He purrs, gritting his teeth as he carefully forces himself all the way inside you. He shudders, and you manage to kick your pants all the way off before wrapping your legs around his waist, locking him inside. 

"Good girl," Toya groans, his lips curling into a predatory smirk as his eyes soften. He looks completely devoted. Consumed by twisted passion. His fingernails dig into your hips, threatening to break the skin. 

"My good girl," He adds before roughly planting his lips on yours. His tongue traces across the roof of your mouth, claiming every inch. Then, he starts thrusting up into you, and you practically see stars. The pain mixes with pleasure, shocks spreading from between your thighs as he fucks you, his breath panting in your ear as he presses himself against you. You can feel the heat coming off of his body. It's enough to make you feel like you're sweating. The sounds of his balls slapping against you with every deep, intense roll of his hips reaches your ears. If anyone else is out this late, all they have to do is turn the corner, and they'll see you getting railed by a murderer beside a sea of ashes. It's taboo. Everything about this screams wrong to you. This is Toya. Your best friend. Your dead best friend. Who seems to be psychotically obsessed with you in the most primal way. But...it all feels so right. You've never felt such gnawing pleasure in your entire life. It's coursing through your veins, boiling in your blood, beating in your heart and throbbing in your nethers. 

"Toya, don't stop," You plead pathetically, the raunchy moan seeming to drive him wild.

"Such a pretty little voice," He laughs darkly in your ear before deliberately picking up his rhythm, pounding into you. Your head spins, trying to decide whether or not the pain overshadows the pleasure. It feels like he's going to rip you apart from the bottom up. His thrusts become haphazard, and his voice becomes needy.

"Fuck," His voice breaks into a soft whine as you feel the warmth spreading inside you, filling you up. Breath hisses through your gritted teeth. You're so pent-up. You're far from your orgasm, despite how much you're enjoying this. Toya pulls back, his face inches away from yours, and he seems to notice your frustration. 

"No, no. We're not done. I'm not leaving until you've come for me," He sighs lustfully before adding, "Until I make you come for me."

You stare into those eyes again. Those burning beautiful blue eyes. 

"Besides," He pants as he slowly lifts you off of his cock, hands firmly gripping your ass, "We can't leave all that in there, now, can we?" 

Before you can register what's happening he lifts you up...and up...and up. He's surprisingly stronger than he looks...and he stops when your dripping slit is level with his face. You shake, partially terrified at how high you are off the ground, keeping your back pressed up against the wall. Your hands run through his hair, gripping to help ground you from the fear of falling. Toya looks up with an expression of pure worship, and you cry out as he dives between your legs, his warm tongue fully extended into you, working to lick you clean. The sounds are positively vile; the lewd slurping noises between your hips overpower all other sounds. You moan his name, your head leaning back against the wall as your eyelids flutter shut, focusing on the feeling of him devouring you. His tongue flexes, twisting in ways that seem improbable, leaving you whimpering for more. He laughs, his hot breath huffing against you as he presses his lips to your clit. You steal a glance to see his gaze fixated on you, staring into your fucking soul. His hands grip you rougher, making you wince as he suckles that sweet spot, tongue flicking against it in all the right ways. You feel yourself getting closer. His touch is so intoxicating. It's so otherworldly. It's so...good. You can't stop the sounds of pleasure coming out of your mouth, spilling from your lips like an ever-flowing waterfall. You feel the familiar clench in the pit of your stomach, and, suddenly, the climax hits you all at once. Your hands turn to fists in his hair, pulling him closer into you as you whimper and moan his name. Toya growls into your slit, the vibrations sending more sensations shooting through your body. Finally, you feel yourself coming down, and you release your grip on him. Toya leans back, looking up at you with dripping lips that he licks clean. He pants, as if out of breath, not breaking the haunting stare. 

"Do you want me to go back to watching in the shadows, princess, or can I get closer, now?"

[weirdmarioenemies]

I am going to rank all of the Super Mario Galaxies and none of you can stop me

That's right! I'm ranking all of them! All ninety-one of these things! Hi, I'm Mod Hooligon, and you may recognize me as "the mod that posted about Super Paper Mario a lot", but did you know? The Super Mario Galaxy games are maybe my actual favorite Mario games! In fact, I've never even beaten Super Paper Mario! I'm a fraud! But I'm a cute fraud, right?

But I'm not a fraud when it comes to Super Mario Galaxy, because I've 100%'d both games, and have replayed them multiple times over! And when you play some games that much, you start to have opinions. And then you want to subject everyone else to your opinions! So that's what I'm gonna do.

This is gonna be a little Weirdmarioenemies mini-series I run outside of our usual posting schedule, so expect a new part of this list every Sunday, until there's no Galaxies left to cover. Today we'll be tackling all the low-tier Galaxies, because there's not enough of them to warrant making three separate posts for F-tier, D-tier, and C-tier.

Got that? Good. Rankings start under the cut!

91. Sling Pod Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: F

Well, something had to be the worst. If you are an ardent Sling Pod Galaxy fan, I am so, so sorry. Let it be known that you are entitled to your own opinion, and that I understand.

But I'm also entitled to my own opinion and my opinion is that Sling Pod Galaxy is Not Very Good! Really, not a lot of the Hungry Luma galaxies from the first game are, we're gonna be covering most of them in this post...

The Sling Pods aren't an awful gimmick in and of themselves, it can be fun to slingshot Mario around, and they're used to great effect in the Tarantox boss fight! But I feel like they can be a bit imprecise, and nowhere does that show more than in Sling Pod Galaxy, where you're required to fling Mario from Sling Pod to Sling Pod with precise timing, and not a lot of wiggle room.

If your aim or timing is just slightly off (and let's face it, it uses motion controls, so it's probably going to be) then you're gonna sling Mario right into the void. There's a cool concept here, but at the end of the day, I'll always find Sling Pod Galaxy more frustrating than fun.

And besides that, it's just not very thematically interesting! It's kinda just cobbled together out of miscellaneous assets, but doesn't manage to make it feel like a Theme the way Space Junk Galaxy does.

90. Snow Cap Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: F

Oh look, another Hungry Luma Galaxy! That didn't take long at all.

I feel like most people wouldn't consider the bunny chases the highlights of the Super Mario Galaxy games, and Snow Cap Galaxy is a galaxy that makes you chase three bunnies, all of which start the mission hidden, under a pretty strict time limit. There's a small chamber you can open that you can chase the bunnies into, but in order to open it, you need to activate a number of Flipswitches, most of which are hidden in the snow, which you need to use your cursor to clear out...

I feel like this mission asks too much of you in too little time, and ends up being another one that ends up more frustrating than fun, especially with how inconsistent chasing down the bunnies can actually be! That being said, I'll give it the edge over Sling Pod, since I think it's at least a little more aesthetically interesting. Bunnies hiding in the snow! It's cute.

89. Stone Cyclone Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: F

If the Hungry Lumas have the worst galaxies in the first game, then World S has some of the worst in the second. I wouldn't say the track record is nearly as bad, I think Super Mario Galaxy 2's quality is much more consistent all around, but that didn't manage to save Stone Cyclone from escaping the bottom tier...

I like a good challenge, but I like a good challenge, and I don't know if I'd consider Stone Cyclone Galaxy good. It's a repeat of the Stone Cyclone planet from the first game (which I do like!), but with all the Tox Boxes, Thwomps, and moving platforms moving 4 times faster. You're given switches that can temporarily slow everything down, and make everything much more manageable, but since it's all temporary, you better be able to manage the faster version once the timer's up!

I don't know, there's a cool concept here, but I feel everything moves so fast when time isn't slowed down, that making jumps between the moving platforms in particular can be really difficult. And when the Tox Boxes are moving faster than you do, sometimes it feels like there's not much room to move without getting squished soon after!

88. Flipswitch Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: D

Yep! Stone Cyclone was the last of the bottom-tiers. Again, there's not really a lot of galaxies in these games I don't like. Now we're at the "I don't necessarily hate them, but also find them kind of pointless" tier!

And no Galaxy feels more pointless to me than Flipswitch Galaxy, which is honestly kind of a joke. Flipswitch Galaxy is One planet. That's right, you get one! This is an entire Galaxy that could easily be a mission in another Galaxy, and even that's being generous. This is a stopgap between two planets in a cooler, more elaborate Galaxy.

Flipswitch Galaxy isn't really frustrating at all, it's probably one of the easiest missions in the entire game, but it's so short and so pointless, that I just wish they did a little more with it, you know? Add a couple more planets, let things escalate a little more, I know you want to keep it easy because of how early in the game it is, but if Flip-Swap Galaxy is any indication, you can do a breezy early-game gimmick galaxy much better than this!

87. Bigmouth Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: D

Okay, quick question, how many of you have beaten Bigmouth Galaxy the intended way? I genuinely didn't know until a pretty recent playthrough that there even were Star Chips in this Galaxy. I always just used gravity shenanigans to jump from the top of pool to the other! I thought that's what you were supposed to do, and that the jump was just a little annoying to get right! I'm not sure if I've even ever done this mission the intended way. The jump is just way quicker.

Bigmouth Galaxy is pretty whatever. It sure does exist! I think it's funny that this is a Hungry Luma Galaxy, but Penguru says he likes to come here frequently just to think. He's been a frequent here ever since the galaxy was born five minutes ago!

What do you want me to say about Bigmouth Galaxy. It's a shorter, easier, more mediocre version of Slimy Spring Galaxy, I guess.

86. Drip Drop Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: D

I'm just not giving these Hungry Luma galaxies a break, am I? Don't worry Hungry Lumas, you'll do better in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Anyway, Drip Drop Galaxy is a single planet where you kill a few Gringills with shells, and that's really it. The underwater controls in this game can feel a little janky, so aiming the shells can be a little frustrating, but it's not especially hard, especially if you can find the Red Shells, which retain their homing ability from Mario Kart.

Pretty unremarkable, not especially fun, but I don't dread it the way I do some others, so that's a plus. Apparently this is where Penguru lives.

85. Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: D

Wrapping up the D-tiers, we have Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor, the most forgettable of the Bowser and Bowser Jr. stages. King Kaliente is a cool boss and all, and I think the sinking lava platforms are a cool shakeup to his fight, but for the final boss of the fifth dome, you kinda think they'd do a bit more, right?

There's not really a lot of buildup to the boss, and the boss itself isn't all that difficult, which makes this mission feel pretty underwhelming. I'm curious if I'd put this higher if it weren't one of the Bowser Jr. stages. My stance is "probably, but not by too much". There's not a lot going on in this galaxy.

84. Boo's Boneyard Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

I don't know what it says that this is one of the better Hungry Luma galaxies from the first game.

Let's talk positives first! I think it's cool that they give you a rematch against the Spooky Speedster, and I like that it shakes things up so much. The idea of you getting the Boo Mushroom to become more "equal" with the Spooky Speedster is cool, and I like that they further differentiate things by making it a 2D level. That's all pretty cool!

It's just that... I think this mission is really easy. The Spooky Speedster isn't really all that speedy here, and unlike the shortcut during the first race which you kinda have to go out of your way for, this time it's in plain sight, and not hard to reach at all. Besides that, I just don't think the Boo Mushroom is an especially fun powerup to use in a Race. It's a good powerup, make no mistake, but in the context of a race, it feels pretty sluggish...

83. Loopdeeloop Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

Super Mario Galaxy has a handful of motion-control based minigames, and of the bunch, I think the ray surfing is my least favorite. I don't hate it, I kinda like how wild riding the waves can feel, but at the same time, that wildness combined with the motion controls can make it feel at times like you don't have a lot of control over where you're going, you know?

Loopdeeloop Galaxy is the galaxy that introduces this minigame, and it's fine. I generally prefer its more challenging variant (which we'll see later, but not too much later), but this works well enough as an introduction. It's just kind of a basic version of a minigame I'm not that big a fan of, there's not a lot to say about Loopdeeloop Galaxy.

82. Honeyclimb Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

As far as single-mission gimmick galaxies go, this one is alright. I like the use of Mandibugs and Meteors to spice things up. Unlike something like the Flipswitch Galaxy, this has a pretty solid sense of escalation, which I like!

That being said, it's still pretty basic, climbing honey walls isn't exactly the most exciting gimmick in the world, so I'm not gonna be that huge on a galaxy built completely around it. I guess the focus on the honey climbing lets it feel a bit more distinct from the other Bee Mushroom galaxies, but it's also easily the weakest of the Bee Mushroom galaxies, so I'm not sure if that's a good thing...

I feel like I don't have much to say about any of these mid-tier Galaxies. Sorry.

81. Grand Finale Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

Of all the galaxy rankings, I feel like this is one of the ones I feel the least certain about. Part of me feels it should be lower, part of me thinks putting it lower would be unfair, so instead it ends up here!

From a gameplay perspective, Grand Finale Galaxy is not really that interesting at all. There's no challenge, you just grab the Purple Coins, which are all just out there in the open, and that's really it! That's the star! I don't even know if you can die in this galaxy at all.

But like, that feels like the wrong way to assess this galaxy, because it's not meant to be a challenge in the slightest, it's meant to be this nice little reward you get for getting 100% in this game. You beat the game twice over already, so get to enjoy the Star Festival without Bowser rudely interrupting! Get to spend a little more time with all the characters you've met on your journey before being done with the game for good, it's here as a nice little bonus.

That being said, as a Grand Finale, I feel it sort of lacks... grandeur? I dunno. It's cute as a nice little goodbye, but part of me feels they could've done a little more with it.

Don't ask me what! I'm not a game designer, I'm just some autistic girl on the internet talking about a 16 year old video game! Leave me alone!

80. Mario Squared Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: C

I'll give Mario Squared Galaxy this: it has one of the best names of any galaxy across these games, and that gotta count for something.

Mario Squared is pretty much just a reused planet from Toy Time Galaxy in the first game, just with the rotating squares swapped out for Flipswitches. And I mean hey, if you're gonna reuse content from any galaxy, Toy Time is a pretty good pick. but also the very nature of being reused content means I'm bumping it down a bit, because eh! We've already seen this before! I don't need a galaxy to be a small part of a better galaxy!

I'm pretty sure this galaxy solely exists so they could bring back the infamous Luigi's Purple Coins mission in Super Mario Galaxy 2, which I guess is fair. That mission is difficult, but it is fun, and I like the twists they add in this game (like the Cosmic Clones, and the fact you have to grab all of them this time)! Fun way to create a new take on one of the first game's most challenging missions.

...But can I really rate a galaxy that highly for redoing something another Galaxy already did? I don't know if I can give Mario Squared Galaxy a super high grade for copying Toy Time Galaxy's homework and changing it a little.

I think it's funny that the objective of this mission is to turn all the blue Flipswitches yellow, so it looks like Mario's SMB1 sprite, but once all the Flipswitches are activated, they all turn green, making the whole thing feel kinda pointless. This is fine because green is a better color than yellow anyway.

79. Hurry-Scurry Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

Another one of those short gimmick galaxies with only one mission. I think building a galaxy around these disappearing panels is a pretty fun idea. Once you stand on one of them, it's gone forever, so you have to plan your route carefully, but don't spend too much time planning, because all the ground is disappearing panels. It creates a fun dynamic, that's true to the galaxy's name! There's a solid chance your route will be a little off, so you might have to make some big leaps to grab notes you may have missed. It's cool, I like it!

But not like, that much. It's still a pretty small galaxy all things considered. This one gets a little buildup before the end, which is nice, but it's not much buildup, so the whole experience ends up feeling a little short.

Not helping is the fact they repeat this mission later in the game, but more challenging, and in a galaxy that has other things going on. That does subtract from Hurry-Scurry Galaxy a bit, I feel.

78. Sand Spiral Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

I know I've mentioned multiple times in this post how mediocre the Hungry Luma galaxies in the first game are, but for emphasis: this is the second best one, and it's in C-Tier. Don't feel too bad, Sand Spiral Galaxy. You'll still outshine most of your siblings at the family reunion. At least if you're ignoring those pesky Super Mario Galaxy 2 Hungry Luma galaxies.

This Galaxy gives you a choice between the Bee Mushroom and the Boo Mushroom, and I pretty much always pick the Boo Mushroom I'm pretty sure. There's obstacles for both on the way, so it's not like one's strictly "better" than the other, but I always appreciate the extra control the Boo Mushroom gives me here. After a short tunnel, you lose your powerup, are sent to a spiral planet spinning around a moon, where you grab a Rainbow Star and run through some mines to grab the Star at the end.

It's a pretty short mission that doesn't really feel like it knows what it wants to do, but at the very least, I appreciate that it gives you multiple options, the visual at the end is pretty striking, and making big jumps during the spiral as a Speedrun Strat can be pretty satisfying.

77. Boss Blitz Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: C

If you couldn't tell already, a lot of World S in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is reused content, and that's a lot of why these galaxies are scoring so low. Boss Blitz Galaxy is a string of five boss fights from the first game in a row, which I guess makes it a bit interesting in the context of the sequel, given none of these bosses show up in the main quest, so if this is your only Super Mario Galaxy game, you kinda gotta figure them all out on the fly.

Thankfully, most of these boss fights are still pretty fun, though again, they're all reused so you're not really getting much new here. The timer challenge is sort of teetering on the edge between being "challenging in a frustrating way" and "challenging in a fun way" for me. Speedrunning all the boss fights can be really fun, but none of them really have shortcuts the way the bosses in say, Super Mario Odyssey do, and some of the RNG in the Bouldergeist fight can make the challenge feel a bit inconsistent (even if that IS the best of the bosses), so sometimes your pace feels a bit out of your control.

It also feels weird to have both Dino Piranha and Fiery Dino Piranha, it's kinda redundant, though I do like having them as the bookends, I guess.

76. Twisty Trials Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: C

Woah, reusing content from Super Mario Sunshine now? Slow down, World S!

For what it's worth, reusing Sunshine content is a bit more interesting than reusing Galaxy content, because it's a different game with different controls and different physics and whatnot. Still, it's not like Twisty Trials Galaxy is that interesting. It's a series of progressively more difficult rotating platforms that you have to keep your balance on, and that's really it, though I do like the comet challenge where they move twice as fast, and you have to use the Cloud Flower to keep on pace. That's pretty neat.

I wish they kept the music from Sunshine. I like the weird a capella version of the Super Mario Bros. Overworld theme way more than Super Mario 2007.

75. Loopdeeswoop Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

"The Galaxy's Greatest Wave". I mean, there's only two ray surfing galaxies across both games, this one and Loopdeeloop, so is there really that much competition?

That being said, yeah, I like this more challenging version. I know that the ray surfing minigame still isn't really my favorite (it's in C-tier for a reason!) but having a more difficult course I think brings out some of the best aspects, like how wild it feels to control! And also some of the worst aspects, like how wild it feels to control! It's still as much of a double-edged sword as ever, just a bit more extreme due to the more extreme course.

That being said, since it's more challenging, that makes finishing it feel a lot more satisfying, and I'd never say it really feels unfair. Sure, falling off can be frustrating given how difficult it can be to control, but when it's all done, I end up feeling more "yeah, I did it :D" than "oh thank god that's over with", which I think is the important distinction between an F-tier and a C-tier.

Don't take that as meaning I'm in love with this galaxy, though. It's still here for a reason.

74. Bonefin Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

The cooler Drip Drop Galaxy.

That's really pretty much all this one is, it's Drip Drop Galaxy again but this time it's a boss fight, and it's a bit more exciting because of it. Heck, you need to beat Drip Drop Galaxy to unlock this one, so the resemblance isn't unintentional!

Since it's pretty much Drip Drop Galaxy again, it suffers a lot of the same issues that Galaxy has, but I'm not gonna pretend it doesn't get boosted a lot from the Style Points, though I also think having a single large target to hit ends up feeling a lot better than several smaller targets. Aiming your shells feels a lot easier, but since it's a boss fight, there's also a better sense of escalation here.

Still, it's pretty much just the boss fight, and I mean, being a slightly better version of a D-tier Galaxy isn't exactly something I'll sing my highest praises about. If nothing else, at least it has a killer atmosphere.

73. Sea Slide Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

Wrapping up the C-tier is Sea Slide Galaxy, the worst of the "big" Galaxies from the first game. To quote myself from earlier in the same post, "Well, something had to be the worst." But also not quite like that since it's nowhere near as bad.

The biggest issue with Sea Slide Galaxy is there's really not an awful lot of diversity in its missions. Of the six missions here, three of them are basically "swim in a loop around the galaxy," just with slightly different distances. The Silver Star mission, thankfully, fares a lot better, as does the Improved Version of Hurry-Scurry Galaxy (here it is!) but the last of the missions is one of the boring Purple Coin missions. Mod Hooligon's Tip: If you start a Purple Coin mission and it doesn't have this banger, I'm Sorry.

The galaxy definitely has a unique layout, but there's not really much to do in the water besides swim in a circle, since every mission that doesn't involve swimming in a circle usually has you ignoring the water outright. Would this galaxy be better if it had more swimming? I dunno. As stated, the underwater controls in this game can be a bit finnicky, so maybe I should be glad it's either swim in a circle or don't swim at all.

And that's it for today's post! Do you agree with my opinions? Do you disagree? If you're a Sling Pod Galaxy fan, make some noise!

And if you're looking for the B-Tier galaxies, you're in luck, because you can find those here!

[frenchkisstheabyss]

7 Psychopaths: Seonghwa

x Summary: You are X, a seasoned assassin, and your boss has just assigned you an unusual task. You have two weeks to gather six men for a top-secret mission that requires their unique brand of psychopathy. The trick is, you've got romantic history with all of them.

A detail that might make this a walk in the park or the fight of your life. Time to find out...

x Pairing: assassin!seonghwa x assassin!chubby!fem!reader

x Genre: angst/crime au/smut

x Word Count: 1.8k-ish

x Warnings: fingering, unprotected sex, some moments of deep/hard sex w/ scratching, sex in the desert cause danger is fun, pet names (baby), Hwa likes to talk dirty, fire, side character death via said fire, blood, teeth pulling w/ pliers, mini-explosion, a punch gets thrown, a lil enemies to lovers, strong language, tried to cover it all but lmk if anything's missing!

x A/N: This is #4 in a series of 6 stories featuring two members from TXT, two from ATEEZ, and two from Stray Kids. They all follow the same theme and can be read chronologically or you can jump around. I support the chaos.

Previous Psychopath: Wooyoung | Next Psychopath: Soobin | OR Start From The Beginning

The average adult has 32 teeth. 28 if they’ve had their wisdom teeth taken out. Seonghwa shoves a pair of pliers into the mouth of the man he has tied up in the trunk of a car, clamping the metal jaws around the first molar on the right side. The man’s screams are agonizing, his wrists and ankles fighting against the frayed rope as the root tears out of place. Seonghwa holds it in the red glow of the taillights, ignoring the blood soaked cries of his present company.

“You really should brush your teeth more'' he frowns, noting the plaque buildup on the bloody tooth before tossing it aside. “Don’t worry though. Once I’m done you won’t have any left to brush.” Seonghwa grabs him by the neck, shoving the pliers into his mouth as a mixture of spit and blood drips down the man’s chin. Gripping the next tooth in line, he rips it out much easier than the last and the screaming continues. 2 down, 30 to go.

If they were somewhere in the city Seonghwa might've done something to quiet him down. Duct tape his mouth shut. Shove a sock in there. But this is the desert, the absolute middle of nowhere, during a time when even the sun has abandoned them. There are no people for miles in either direction and any encounter with the other living creatures that stalk the desert night is sure to end in this man's death. Make no mistake. He will die either way but first, there’s business to attend to.

“You have the misfortune of having a lot of teeth,” Seonghwa grins, waving the pliers around with tooth number 4 wedged between metal, “Fortunately, I don’t have a lot of time so why don’t you tell me what I wanna know and we can go our separate ways.” “You…you’re gonna let me go?” the man blubbers, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Of course, I will.” A lie. “Don’t fuck with me, man!” “I’m not fucking with you.” Another lie. Seonghwa takes a seat on the edge of the open trunk, patting the man on the shoulder like they’re two old friends grabbing a beer. “I’ll let you go. I always keep my word.” The final lie. The biggest lie of them all. 

But it works. In seconds the man confesses to Seonghwa, a sinner in search of forgiveness. He answers every question without pause. Spills the details of who hired him for the job that led to their paths crossing. Hell, he even starts in on his troubled childhood, going on about his mommy issues until Seonghwa can’t stomach his voice anymore. “Alright, well, thanks for that,” Seonghwa sings, hopping up and tossing the pliers into the trunk before walking out of view. “Hey! Where are you going?” the man shouts, wiggling towards the edge of the trunk.

Idling a safe distance away is Seonghwa’s car, soft white headlights illuminating the horizon as classical music flows from the radio almost too lightly to be heard. He pops the trunk, retrieving a 5 gallon gas canister. “Calm down, I’m coming back,” Seonghwa huffs, dragging himself back to the other car. The man’s eyes widen when he sees the canister, what little color is left in his pale skin drains to nothing. “No! You can’t do that! You gave me your word! You’re fucking crazy.”

Seonghwa digs a lighter out of his back pocket, flicking the top off of the canister with his thumb, “I know.”

You awaken from your slumber like a sweet baby angel to the gentle sound of orchestral music. The surface beneath you is the softest you’ve slept on in days and the blanket wrapped around you must be made of some luxurious fur because regular cotton could never feel this lush. You sit up, yawning, eyelashes fluttering, and wait for your vision to adjust. As the sleep wears off you suddenly notice how dry your throat is. Then there’s the pain. You bring your hand up to the side of your neck, touching the tender spot where you were injected with something, and it all comes back to you.

Woo. Seonghwa. They did this. Where are you? The driver’s side door swings open just as the pieces shift back into place. Nearby screams muffled by the crackling of a raging fire draw you in like a moth to a flame. There’s thumping inside the trunk of the other car. You’re too concerned about if you’re next to care who’s in there. “You’re up!” Seonghwa cheers, hopping into the car and turning to check the backseat where you’ve been passed out for hours. “How’s it going, baby?” “‘Baby’, my ass!” you shout, punching him in the face. You hate to hit something so pretty but he deserved it.

“You fucking drugged me!” Seonghwa holds his nose, tapping his foot to distract from the pain, “I did it for your own good.” “For my own good? You set me up. Where’s Woo? Son of a bitch.” Blinded by your anger, you storm out of the car, charging barefoot through the desert with the blanket still around you. Seonghwa chases after you, his head tilted back to avoid a nosebleed, “You can’t just walk around out here. You’re gonna get hurt!” “I’ll get hurt?” you scoff, turning back to launch another hit in his direction.

Seonghwa grabs you by the wrist, bringing an arm around your waist to hold you to him, “Look at me and tell me you think I’d ever bring harm to you.” The aching in your neck tells you not to trust him again but your heart won’t let you forget your shared history. All of the times he’s put his life on the line to protect you before. Whatever he’s done, there must be a reason. It better be a good one. Seonghwa lets out a sigh of relief as he senses your body has begun to relax. The fire behind him has doubled in size, making it impossible to ignore.

“Who’s in the trunk?” you ask, kissing the bridge of his nose right where your punch landed. It takes everything in him not to blush. “Someone that did want to hurt you but don’t worry. I hurt him first.” “What did he want with me?” “You’re joking, right?” he laughs, “There’s a trail of corpses behind you in the name of a mission no one knows anything about. They’re coming for you. You have to stop.” This was bound to happen. An occupational hazard. When you run around fucking shit up you draw attention to yourself and it’s never the good kind.

This is the life you signed up for though. Turning back isn’t an option. “You know I can’t do that.” “Yes you can,” he says, the pain in his voice undeniable, “I’ll keep them off of you as long as I can but once they get to me—” You kiss him, letting the blanket fall to your feet as you cup his face. “Don’t talk like that, Hwa. I won’t let them touch you. I promise.” The kiss heats up rapidly. The knowledge that you still care for each other deeply drives you into a breathless frenzy.

You tear at each other’s clothes. His hands traverse your curves, massaging your ass and thighs. Your stomach. Your breasts. Your everything. Before you know it you’re laid out over the pile of clothes, his tongue rolling across your nipple as he parts your thighs to stroke your pussy. Your throat might be dry but your pussy’s delectably wet. Seonghwa dips a finger into you, humming against a mouthful of your breast as he taps his thumb at your clit. The finger inside of you curls in just the right way to make your hips stutter.

“Mmm, is my girl ready for another one?” You shake your head, nails raking up and down his back, “Two. I want two more.” “Anything for you” he smiles, feeding his fingers into you one by one. He moves his wrist in slow circles, giving you that satisfying fullness in your belly, all the while stretching you in preparation for the cock he can tell you want so badly. You reach down to stroke his length and it jumps for you like an overexcited puppy happy to see its owner. You are its owner. No amount of time apart will change that. You’re the only woman who's ever been able to get him hard as steel and you know it.

“No more fingers. I want you to fill me up” you whisper, tugging at his hair. Seonghwa picks up the pace, fingering you faster just to hear you scream his name. Your hips raise off of the ground, walls locked around his fingers. He wiggles them free, using the hand dripping with your arousal to stroke himself as he aligns with your entrance. He comes up to kiss you, pushing into you until he bottoms out, turning you into a giggling mess.

Watching you has him falling in love all over again. “Fuck, I love it when you’re like this,” he says, lifting one of your legs up and pounding into you. Each thrust is so perfectly angled to please you that you can't even steady your hands enough to touch him. In fact, nothing about you is steady. Your entire body reacts to his, obeying commands without a word spoken. “Ooh, your little pussy’s pulsing. Ready to cum for me already?” he teases, bouncing you on his cock. “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes…” your voice trails off, nails digging deeper into his shoulders as you crack under pressure.

Seonghwa pins you down harder, slowing down to feel every moment of your release. He may have his sadistic side but his heart never softens more than when he sees you happy. And knowing that he’s the reason why? It gets him every time. He cuddles you as you come down, only peeling his body away from yours when the sudden combustion of a gas tank startles the two of you. “Aww, isn’t that romantic?” he beams. “Romantic?” “Like fireworks.” You roll your eyes, scooching over to lay your head on his chest, “Sure. Let’s go with that.”

Despite the circumstances, laying here with him is the most peaceful night you’ve had since this all began. It feels almost normal enough to pretend you don't have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Seonghwa disrupts the delusion. Someone has to do it. “Nothing I say will make you back out of this mission, will it?” You sigh, drawing hearts in the sweat that slicks his chest, “No. I have to do this, with or without you and Woo, but I’d prefer with.” Seonghwa hugs you, kissing you on the forehead, “Then ‘with’ it is.”

[inkofimagination]

hasan is always by your side to help you after your break ups but something changes.

this a part 3/3 of my this mini series.

the finale is here!!!!

October

The nights were lengthening, sunsets shorter each night as the fall began to take full hold. But still there was nowhere better to watch it than the roof according to Hasan.

“Just reach up, you’ve got it.” Hasan was encouraging, but you felt anything but stable as he boosted you up to the tree branch. You scrambled up onto the branch, getting your balance as best you could. But the roof wasn’t as close as you thought - knowing your luck if you tried to make it you would fall.

“Hold onto the trunk, I’ll help you once I get up there,” Hasan instructed, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. You were sure you looked like a treed cat. You shuffled to the side until you got to the trunk, wrapping your arms tightly around it. You watched Hasan run backwards, getting momentum. When he hit the tree the entire thing shook, making you squeak as he pulled himself up, kicking his leg over and then rising to his feet. The tree stabilized again, and you let out the breath you’d been holding.

“You okay?” He teased, but there was no malice to be found in his tone.

“Now that the earthquake is over, yeah,” you laughed.

“C’mon, I gotcha.” He held his hand out and you reached for it, grabbing on tightly as he started to coax you across the branch. It was only a few feet, but there was no way you could have done it without him there guiding you.

“There you go, you got it,” he encouraged you, taking it one step at a time until you stepped onto the roof. Although it felt more stable, you were still hyperaware of the fact that you were much higher than you’d like to be.

“I gotcha, you’re not gonna fall,” he repeated, looking down to where your nails were digging into his bicep as you shuffled your way across the shingles. You could tell he was trying not to laugh.

“We’ll see about that,” you said, taking tiny steps as he led you over the peak so you could see the view he’d been raving about.

And he was right. The sunset was incredible, streaks of orange and pink painting the sky, giving everything the light touched an ethereal glow - Hasan included.

“Woah.”

“Told you it was worth it.” He was grinning from ear to ear as he guided you over to a less sloped part of the roof, stopping and helping you sit down. He settled down next to you, and you reached out for his hand, just to have an anchor.

Ever since the move in, things had been more touchy than they’d ever been between you and Hasan. It wasn’t that you never touched each other before - but now it was different. When you were on your laptop, he used to come rest his chin on top of your head. Now, he came up behind you and put his chin on your shoulder. Sometimes, you swore you could feel his lips on your skin when he moved. When you used to put your legs over his on the couch, he didn’t even notice. Now, his fingers would trace over your skin absentmindedly. He held your hand when you crossed the street now, put a hand on your lower back if you were in a crowded place.

At first you thought that it was just because you were together constantly now.

Things were different. Different in a good way. You knew that eventually you were going to have to talk about it, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that as the sun went down, he asked.

“You up for a round of hard ones?”

Hard ones wasn’t a game per say - it was something you and the boys had come up with very early on in your friendship. Essentially, you were allowed to ask any hard questions you wanted to, and the person had to answer honestly, no matter what. The condition was that you couldn’t judge them off what they said, and it couldn’t change your friendship.

“Got lots of hard questions for me?” You teased, nudging his shoulder. In all honesty, there were some things you wanted to ask him.

“Maybe.” Even in the fading light from the sun, you could see the blush that spread across his cheeks. Your fingers itched to reach out and touch them, feel the warmth.

“Well, hit me with it,” you grinned, unsure if you were more excited or nervous. Either way you squeezed Hasan‘s hand, smiling when he squeezed back.

“Do you think you were really in love with Adam?”

Hearing his name stung a little bit. You’d tried not to think about him much after you’d blocked him on everything.

“I thought that I was. Maybe in the beginning. But no, I know I wasn’t in love at the end. That’s not what love is supposed to be like,” you explained, picking up a few twigs that had landed on the roof, throwing them off.

“Your turn.”

“What’s your favorite color?” You grinned when he rolled his eyes.

“That’s not a hard one’s question, c’mon. And you know it. Ask me something else.”

“Alright alright. Hmmm. Okay, last time we played you said you didn’t think you were ready for a relationship. How do you feel now?”

“I think I’m ready for one. Still makes me nervous, cause I know there will be people who have shit to say about it. But I think I’m ready anyways.”

“Do you think you’d just keep it private, or would you go public with it?”

“Not your turn,” he grinned, nudging you.

“Shit, sorry.” You always got a bit question happy.

“But I don’t know. I think it would be fake to hide the whole thing, and I don’t wanna do that. But I don’t want her to be harassed either. But she’s pretty tough, so I think that it might be alright.”

Your heart started to race - her. Who was he talking about?

“I get two questions now,” he reminded you. The way he paused before he asked was his tell - it was about to get even more serious.

“Shoot.”

“Do you think a month is too soon between relationships?”

“No. Maybe for some people, but I think I would be fine.” You answered it quickly - surely this was going where you thought it was going.

You hadn’t realized how much you wanted it until right then, and suddenly you wanted nothing more than to kiss him. You noticed just how close you were to him; you could feel the heat coming off his skin, feel the nerves in his fingertips, like he was sending it through you where you were connected. His next question couldn’t have come quick enough.

“Remember when we were 21 and we promised we’d never date, cause we didn’t wanna fuck up our friendship?”

You nodded, urging him to go on.

“Do you still think it would fuck it up?”

“No. I think we’re a lot more mature now. I think we could do it,” you breathed, staring right at him. There was an understanding in his eyes, mixed with a giddy excitement that you could feel.

“When we had our fight, you said that you were waiting for the right person, and that’s why you hadn’t been dating,” you said, nerves on fire.

This was it, there was no going back from this. He nodded, anxiously waiting for you to keep going.

“Did you find her?”

There was a little pause, both of you realizing the magnitude of what was happening, the entire shift of the relationship that you had known.

“I think I did.”

And then his lips were on yours. It was as easy as breathing - you fit together like you’d done it a thousand times before. He was gentle, his hand coming up to cup your face as you turned towards him, shifting your weight towards him, wanting nothing more than to be as close to him as you could get.

Bad move.

Just the tiny shift threw off your balance, and you started to slide down the shingles. You couldn’t have moved more than an inch, but you squeaked out in panic, scrambling to get a hold of something. Hasan grabbed you on instinct, holding you steady with a laugh.

“Did you forget we were on a roof?” He teased. His smile was brighter than you’d ever seen it.

“Can you blame me?” You laughed, relaxing a bit but holding your tight grip.

“C’mon, let’s get you down.” He rose to his feet, getting his balance before helping you up to yours. As you started to walk his hands went to your hips, moving up to your waist under your shirt. You blushed at the feeling of his fingers on your skin, but you tried to stay focused as you navigated the roof back towards the tree.

He went ahead of you, climbing onto the branch and guiding you down, going slow and keeping you steady. When you got back to the trunk, he jumped down without hesitation, turning back and reaching up for you.

“I’ll catch you,” he answered your question without you having to ask. You leaned forward, reaching out for his shoulders to brace on. His hands caught your waist as you half-jumped, half-fell forward.

As soon as your feet touched the ground he was walking you backwards until your back was against the tree, and he was kissing you. This one was different - the shy hesitation from only a few minutes prior was long gone. Your hands traced from his shoulders to his neck, fingers curling in his long hair and pressing him closer to you. He angled his hips forward, pinning you in place as you gasped at the sensation. It was so new, but somehow so familiar at the same time. You leaned into the kiss, exploring new territory and trying to get him closer to you, as close as you could.

“You were holding back on me up there,” Hasan breathed when you finally broke apart.

“Didn’t really wanna fall to my death,” you grinned. You were giddy in a way that you hadn’t felt in so long - you weren’t sure you could stop smiling even if you wanted to.

“I would have caught you,” he countered.

“I know.”

He backed up just slightly, and the loss of his skin and the breeze caused you to shiver. He frowned, reaching down for your hand.

“You cold?”

“Just a little,” you shrugged. You didn’t care if you had to stay out all night if it meant you’d be with him.

“Let’s go inside.” You followed him as he started guiding you inside. “By the way, you’re never moving out. You’re stuck with me for good.”

“Sounds perfectly fine to me,” you sighed, letting go of his hand and wrapping your arms around his waist instead. You could feel his smile when he pressed a kiss to your hair.

So wrapped up in each other, you didn’t even notice Will in the kitchen when you came in because he came over earlier but was napping.

But you heard his little anecdote in the background, making you smile.

“Fucking finally,” was all he said.

[sage-green-matcha]

MAROON - ETHAN LANDRY PT. 1 🍷🥀🔪

“The burgundy on my t-shirt when you splashed your wine into me, and how the blood rushed into my cheeks so, scarlet it was” - Taylor Swift

Content includes: mentions of murder, alcohol, pretty much it for this chapter!

Pt. 2 of Maroon | Pt. 3 of Maroon | PT. 4 of Maroon |

(A/n: This is the first chapter of a series! It’s gonna be ab 5-7 parts? I’m not sure yet. Hope you enjoy! )

<3

<3

<3

Your whole life you'd felt like an outcast, no friends, a broken family. You'd move around your entire childhood, you never had one place that you called home. You knew you couldn't get too comfortable anywhere you were.

That was until you moved to Woodsboro. You were there for your last two years of high school. Becoming friends with a group of "popular kids" but what you didn't know was that at the cost of having friends was death.

"Y/n, you okay?" Tara waved her hand in your face. "I- yea I'm fine" Your lips were agape, picturing the sight of the dead bodies you had seen in the past. You took it harder than everyone else. Sam kept trying to get you to go to therapy but you refused. You didn't think anything was wrong with you. But the situation changed how you looked at everyone and everything.

You couldn't trust anyone, nowhere was safe. You felt like there were eyes on you at all times. And you never dared to pick up any calls from unknown numbers. "I was asking what we should get for dinner? Everyone's coming over in a bit" "Oh uh, I'm fine with anything"

It was just a normal night to everyone else, but to you, the moon was the same as it was on that night. It was full, and it messed with your head. "Y/n...it might be last minute but do you wanna go to a party? It's Halloween themed and I know you've been wanting to wear your costume" She smiled at you.

She knew you would say yes, everyone loved when you were drunk. You were the same person from before the murders, the same funny, sweet, Y/n that gave no fucks. You let loose, you'd dance with anyone who asked and took whatever drink was handed to you.

"Yea, I'll get ready" "Nice" she squealed, leaving you alone. You kept your door open, finding your pink butterfly wing teeshirt, pairing it with a green mini skirt. It was simple enough but still cute, tying the shirt in the front to make the "slutty" aspect of Halloween come into play. You had a little flower crown, carefully placed butterflies all over it, a green bow in the back.

You did your makeup with care, adding glitter and gems to the sides of your eyes. "Hi Y/n...we're leaving soon" you responded to the unfamiliar voice, looking up quickly "Oh, hey Ethan...right?" He nodded. You'd be lying if you said you didn't think he looked silly. He was wearing a cardboard hat, grey tape around the edges to give it a "cleaned up" look.

"Yea...Ethan Landry" "And what are you supposed to be, Ethan?" He was really cute, he had a shy look in his eye, his cheeks covered in pretty roses blush color. "I'm a Knight" "Your armor isn't really shiny" he looked confused and kinda offended at the same time.

"I- I'm just kidding, sorry. I'll be out soon" You smiled up at him. He had pictured your smile in his mind and it was so much better than he had imagined. You were always quiet and serious in Econ class, but you looked so good with a smile on your face.

Luckily, Ethan would be getting to see you smile all night, the first one when you took your first shot of the night. "To the Fab 5, and! To Ethan, my roommate" "Chad ew, don't call us that" Tara cringed. "Yea! And Sams not here so it's not the full 5" you laughed. "Okay, okay whatever. Cheers guys" You took the small glass to your lips, burning liquid smoothly going down your throat, tossing away old memories and letting yourself go.

"Let's dance!" You dragged Tara to the dance floor also known as the living room, the smell of smoke filling your nose. "Does Sam know you're here?" "No!" She laughed and you shook your head. "You know she's gonna track you down, right?" "Nah, she won't find me"

You stumbled back to the kitchen, Ethan scrolling on his phone silently. "Hey, E...you drink?" You held up a bottle tauntingly and he shook his head. "Uh, no" "yea, I saw you spit out that shot" you smiled, turning back to the table of alcohol, pouring two shots of vodka. "Here" you handed him one, his shaky voice thanking you.

You liked Ethan, sure you'd only known him for a couple hours but he reminded you of yourself. Getting dragged into new friend groups where they don't quiet except you, feeling left out of jokes since he hadn't been here long. "How long have you been in New York?" You strike up a conversation, Anika stealing you back after the long chat. "Got eyes for Landry, huh?" "He's cute" you shrugged with a smile, taking a drink from the red solo cup in your hand. "Chads gonna freak"

Her eyes widened and so did her smile. It finally felt like you were trusting someone, opening up, and starting a conversation. You knew the next time you'd seen him he'd be confused by the lack of energy you'd have. In reality, the alcohol was what was giving you that boost.

You sat down next to the two girls, Mindy explaining her logic behind being at this party and the small chance of almost being killed again. "What about you Y/n? Aren't you a bit paranoid?" "Yeah, I guess. But I feel safe around you guys" you smirked. "Oh also Y/n, I don't Trust Ethan at all. He looks too innocent" "Isn't that the best part?" You laughed, Mindy with a disgusted look on her face.

"I'm gonna go stand in line for the bathroom" You blew kisses at them as you walked away, walking around to find the bathroom. You felt yourself lose balance as you walked, someone catching you as you felt liquid splash on your shirt. "Ah man, my shirt" You held onto the randos chest, trying to stay balanced. "Shit, Y/n...you okay?" You looked up with drunk eyes, Ethan looking down at you with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But my shirt...not so much" You frowned, blush rushing into your cheeks as you looked at him. You untied your Tee, the Maroon color splashed all over your top, making it look like someone had stabbed you. "Is that wine?" He shrugged. "I'm not sure, this girl just gave it to me" he smiled, helping you hold yourself up against the wall.

"Thanks for catching me, I'm not completely drunk, these heels are just uncomfortable to walk in" You slipped off the gold shoes, Ethan standing next to you uncomfortably. "Uhm, let's get you a new drink, yea?" "Oh, no no it's okay. I wasn't gonna drink it...uhm it's fine" he stumbled over his words quite a lot. You couldn't tell if he was just nervous or if this is just how he was all the time.

"Ethan! My man!" Chads hand slapped over the poor boy's shoulder. "Whoah...Y/n, you look like you just got attacked...again" "Very funny Chad" you glared at him. "Hey uh, not to interrupt this throuple but your services are needed" Anika turned the corner as Chad sighed. "I'm needed, I'll be back" "Throuple huh...I think I'd like to just have fun with you, E" You held back a laugh, walking away with a smile and an awkward wink.

Ethan was left a flustered and confused mess, following to find Chad. As for you, you'd finally find the bathroom. Looking at your wine-splashed shirt. It was a familiar view. But instead of blood, it was an innocent drink. You lifted your shirt, your fingers tracing over the two, deep knife scars.

You were lucky to only get two lousy scars, compared to others...you told yourself you didn't have room to complain. After all, you were alive, you made it through the night and you took it to your advantage.

You snapped out of your trance as you heard a familiar voice. Sam, oh shit. "Excuse me" You struggled to push through the crowded hall, bumping into Ethan once you got to the scene. You moving to stand by his side. "Oh shit" you cringed as Sam took her taser to the man's crotch.

"Sam? Are you fucking kidding me? You're stalking me now?" You And Ethan watched in confusion, the dude now on the floor. "Holy shit! It's that psycho girl!" The room filled with laughter, grabbing Ethan's hand as everyone chased Tara.

"Is this like a regular thing in this friend group?" The group walked in unison, you And Ethan behind everyone else. "Yea," you sighed, feet aching with your shoes in your hand. "I like your flower thingy...by the way" "Thanks, made it myself" you took it off your head, handing it to him before stealing the cardboard hat from off his. "Trade me?" "Oh uh...yea" he placed the crown on his head awkwardly, trying to fix his hair as you slipped his hat over your head.

"Looks cute on you" The pink flowers matched with his soft personality, and his flushed cheeks. You on the other hand looked very strange, getting looks from the people that were once staring at Sam and Tara.

"Tara..will you stop?" Sam struggled to catch up with her sister, Tara not giving a fuck. "I cannot believe you did that, you embarrassed me!" "That gut was a dick! He was gonna take advantage of you" "So?!" You rubbed underneath your eyes, knowing that they were about to get into an argument yet again.

It was always like this, they argue just to never make up and argue again. It's a continuous cycle that has never ended. "So?" Sam repeated in shock. "If I wanna hook up with an ass hole that's my decision?! It's my decision" "Okay.." Sam scoffed.

"It's not about you!... You..you were out of my life for 5 years and then you can't leave me alone for 5 minutes" Sams's only and most used "comeback" was that Tara wasn't going to the councilor, That she wasn't dealing with what happened to her. You wondered if she thought the same thing about you, you were worse than Tara with the subject, you had completely blocked out any idea of it with anyone. Sure everyone knew what happened in the back of their head, but it was for the best if no one mentioned it.

"Hey...guys come on" Tara ignored Chad, trying to get them to stop. Tara rambled, even you thought her words were a bit harsh. "You just follow me here and you won't let me out of your sight" "Just...trying to look out for you" You could tell Sam felt defeated, rethinking her actions. "I know...I know you are. But you can't do it for the rest of my life, you have to let me go"

Next thing you knew the smell of cherry coke filled your nose, a drink splashed all over Sam by a random girl. The two were already at it, Sam trying to aggressively go after her, Chad pulling her back. "The fuck is wrong with you?" "You know what you did!" "I didn't fucking do anything!"

You waved at Ethan to follow you, chasing behind Mindy and the rest of the group. "I'm so fucking tired of this!" Tara's eyes watered in frustration, Chad rubbed her back Anika and Mindy holding hands as they walked. You only now realized how alone you were. Sure you'd have some flirty moments with Mindy or Anika but they were purely platonic, you'd never had an actual partner.

"Y/n, I heard what you said to Ethan, not that drunk huh?" She laughed. "He knows I'm kidding...or not. Right E?" "What?" He caught up and you smiled to the ground. "You talked to my bro? Damn, I guess you two would make a good pair" Chad laughed. "No, I don't trust him. He's weird, he always stutters when he talks. He's definitely hiding something" Mindy scoffed.

"I'm right here..." "No, he's just like that with Girls, Man has never experienced female contact" Ethan rolled his eyes, sighing. Mindy also rolled her eyes, she was always stubborn, especially when she was convinced someone was dangerous. "Well I'm gay, so I don't know why he's scared of me" "Maybe cause you're really intimidating, Mindy" Tara turned back, a broken smile back on her face.

"You are...kinda really rude too" "Am not, your face is just annoying to look at" your eyes widened. "Okay you two, cut it out" You all finally got to the apartment, running into your room to take off the wet, uncomfortable shirt. You placed Ethan's hat on your bed, finding a long sleeve and pj pants to switch into.

"Hey, here's your thingy back" he knocked on the door, handing it to you. "Oh, thanks" you grabbed his hat off the bed, giving it back. "I- I think I'm just gonna take it all off, restricting" you agreed. "Yea...plus the party's already over" "I...I'm really sorry about your shirt...by the way" "It's fine, ill just order another one"

"Y/n, hey I think you're gonna wanna see this" Chad called from the living room, you And Ethan rushing to his voice. He called out to Sam who was downstairs, the two of you meeting in the living room in shock. "Cute boy...nice" Quinn smiled and you smirked.

You stared at the Tv, "Also found at the scene were various Ghost Face costumes..." you heart dropped to your ass, you could feel tears start to form in your eyes. "I'm not doing this shit again" you rushed to your room, Sam chasing behind you. "Y/n...Y/n come on we can leave, I'll get tara" "Guys! Wait no! Hold on! No wait, let's talk about this for a second" the two of you had already made your way to the kitchen, knifes in hand.

"This might not have anything to do with us" "Are you serious?" Sam asked. Great, another argument. But this time you sided with Sam. This definitely had something to do with all of you. "It's Halloween! Everybody's wearing masks" "Tara! Tara, this isn't a coincidence!" Your eyes were wide, looking at her trying to find where she found the audacity to say that.

"Tara...we knew him" you spoke up. "He was in one of our classes! We Barley knew him" She scoffed. "Chad, Mindy back us up here" your eyes creased, heart pumping as if you'd just run a marathon. "I mean it is a little bit..." "close to home..." Mindy finished his sentence. "Quinn! Your dad's a cop right? Can you call him and see what's going on? Before you make the dumb ass decision to abandon my college education, and flee the fucking state?" Everyone looked up at Quinn, her Phone to her ear as she called.

You froze as you felt your phone ring in your pocket. Everyone's eyes on you. You slowly took it out, looking at the contact. "Who is it?" You let out a small sigh of relief. "It's just Gale, probably excited about the new book opportunity" you held your face in your palms. "Why'd everyone just freak out when her phone rang?" "You gotta keep up My Dude" you felt your heart beat faster, holding back tears.

"Sam, my dad wants to talk to you" you rushed to your room, closing the door behind you. You fell against it, tears spilling out. You thought you'd finally escaped it, but now your progress was ruined, you were back at square one. It was only bound to get worse, this was just the beginning.

[justevelynnnn]

Black and Purple.

Notes: So now i like Mr. Hitoshi. I used to reallyyy like him a couple yrs ago and ig here we r again🤭 So basically this is gonna be a mini series of mine like idk 3 posts? I don’t wanna call them chapters..

Content: Hitoshi Shinso x afab, Blk!Goth!reader

- You were weird. You’re quirk was weird and so was the music you listen to or how you dressed which, could be blamed on your quirk.

- When you were younger, like up until kindergarten, you were really feminine and pink and peppy. Until you got your quirk.

- When you were 5 it activated for the first time. It was halloween and you dressed up as a witch. Door to door you tried to look as scary as possible. You got to your neighbors house and when she opened the door you stood and did your creepiest face knocking she was terrified of witches. Oh this would be good.

- Hmmm, it was maybe a bit too good…

- She opened the door and screamed. You and your mother were a bit taken aback..you were 5 were you really that scary?

- Turns out the neighbor saw a much more creepier version…

- You later learned that your quirk was meant to play on people’s fears and paranoia causing people to hallucinate or hear things not there. The doctor you saw called it paranoia. So that was it, your quirk was just Causing paranoia.

- Your parents had emotion related quirks too but this? It seemed….villainous.

- Your life changed that day. Kids were scared of you. Teachers too. You only got good grades even if you didn’t try on work. You could do anything and never get in trouble because if people knew what you could do to them it was over.

- You spent most of your life from that day lonely and sad. You always wanted to be a hero but this was just such an obstacle. You started getting darker..

- And this appearance change did not help your case at all.

- Anyways time skip to your UA days. Yes you got in. But not in the way you hoped.

- You were in class C.

- You we’re jealous of the lucky people in Classes A and B. But you felt if you tried hard enough you could get bumped up.

- The first few weeks of school you just sat in the back of the class. You didn’t really speak to anyone.

- However you did start to catch a certain purple hair boy staring at you often.

-One day you finally looked over at him and asked, “What do you want?”

- He shrugged and went back to doing his work.

- You knew him just a little and mostly because his quirk. Secretly you wanted to get to know him more and his quirk. But you had become so anti social you just couldn’t. He didn’t seem the type to strike up conversation either but luckily for you he was interested enough in you to try.

- “Hey.”

- You looked up from packing your backpack as class was over.

-Quirking an eyebrow you wanted to know what this guy wanted now.

- “What do you want?”

- “Careful, i’m trying to be nice here Morticia.”

- “Ok, i’m sorry, but no one talks to me out of nowhere.”

- “Interesting… I wonder why..”

- You rolled your eyes. Was he playing dumb, being sarcastic?

- “How about you? You don’t seem so popular yourself sir.”

- “No i’m not…and i think it’s because of my you know what..”

- “Same here.” You thought about this next part, “Wanna talk about it?”

- He didn’t seem like much of a talker especially about his quirk but he took interest in you so it’s only fair you do the same back.

- To your surprise he nodded. Then he added, “Only if you talk about your situation too.”

- So you two left class and walked around talking about your quirks and how it isolated you both from everyone. You talked about your get up and he talked about why he has eyebags.

- You learned you both had almost the same life, we’re night owls, had the same ambitions and loved cats.

- Before you both knew it, it was dark out.

- “Thanks for talking to me, Shinso. I haven’t said this many words since my junior high science project presentation.”

- He chuckled slightly and thank you back.

- He walked you to the street your house was at and waved goodbye.

- You never had a crush on anyone but Shinso…he evoked a whole new feeling.

- Everyday you two would talk about any and everything. It was so nice to see him open up. And surprisingly he was such a gentleman too..

- The sports festival was coming up and you really wanted to go but said nothing. You saw Shinso signing up one day and asked him about it.

- “You’re really serious about this huh?”

- He just nodded.

- “Well, i believe in you Shin..” You smiled.

- “I think you’d do pretty good out there too yknow. You should sign up. Scare some of those pros.”

- You were shocked. He really believed in you? You barely believed in yourself. You were extremely lacking in the physical department so you were nervous to go up against anyone honestly. You wondered how Shinso was so brave himself. If someone doesn’t answer him it would be over..

- “You really think so??” You asked.

- He just nodded again and handed you the pen as he walked away.

-You stares at the sign up sheet for a bit. And then you did the unthinkable.

- You wrote your name.

- The day came and you were a wreck. You didn’t even do your usual makeup and kept your face bare.

- Shinso noticed your face and patted your back. “You’ll do amazing. Even if you don’t, you tried and that’s saying something right?”

- He smiled. He was not the best motivational speaker but he helped you just a tad.

- When it was your turn you were up against some green haired boy named Izuku. He had just defeated your friend so you were a bit fired up now. You saw all he could do was flick his fingers and send waves of power out which was..odd.

- Your quirk allowed you to see people’s fears and anxieties. You quickly accessed this boy, peering into his life. You saw what he was afraid of. Failure.

- You stared into his soul as the game started and activated your quirk. He started to attack but stopped once he heard, booing?

- He started to look around and see people pointing at him and laughing and booing his name and gagging and and and.. what was happening??? He was frozen.

- Then he heard whispers in his ear. Like the most unmotivatonal things ever. The sky got darker and you started your final move. You snapped your fingers and he looked at you to see your eyes roll back to your head as you smiled your most creepiest smile ever as it started “raining” burning metors. Izuku ran out the ring in pure fear to avoid get “hit”.

- The whole time you just stood there smiling an of course the snapping your fingers part. Once Izuku was out of bounds he saw how reality finally snapped back.

- You won..

- Well you didn’t win in the end, losing to Bakugo, but you got 4th place.

- And still plenty of pros came over to you to ask you how your quirk worked and offered you internships. Even kids from Class 1-A came to talk to you. It was amazing to be seen for once. You were quite popular now in fact.

- Later you heard a voice; “See i knew you’d do great…” Shinso said after everything was over and the room you were in was empty.

- You then ran up to him and hugged him. He was shocked. He wasn’t used to touches but here you were. The most prettiest girl ever, hugging him.

-“Thank you…” You said into his chest.

- He blushed and looked away. “Don’t mention it…”

- “No, really. You just changed my fucking life dude…Thank you so much.” You said pulling back looking him in his eyes.

- He just smiled.

- You held his hand as you two left that day. Your heart filled with joy. It wouldn’t be long before He asked you out finally…😉

More notes: anyways if y’all haven’t seen on my latest post, i started college and i work so i’m like really busy everyday, all the time. So idk the posts r gonna be kinda slow 😭👋🏾 but yeah i’m still alive, i still got my plug!connie and nerd!armin drafts but i’m saving those for when i’m really slumped and can’t put nothing out for a while so if ur waiting sorry 😵‍💫😔 also this is not proofread…

[draco-after-dark]

Hello Rockyy👋I realised that Feral is inspired by Toothless, so what would happen if Feral grew wings?

I mean the rock trolls were originally going to have wings. You can find concept art showing them with such so it's not that out there of an idea.

But imagining Feral. Then giving him the ability to fly.

Nothing is safe anymore. Menace energy goes up by 10,000%.

But i love what ifs so much! I'm rolling with this idea.

I don't think much would change behavior wise other then he would probably spend a lot more time up near the tree tops rather then near the ground.

He would definitely freak his brothers out a lot more the first time they see his wings. They would appear out of nowhere usually tucked under his fur pelt when he's not using them.

Once they're past introductions thought you know Clay and Branch are losing their minds over JD's wings. Because holy shit their brother has wings and can fly. Clay would would whipping out tap measurers and Branch would have so many pens and papers flying around as he's just writing down everything Clay is saying. They wouldn't even notice how uncomfortable JD is until Bruce pulls Clay away and Floyd gently places his hand on Branch. Only then do the two realize that JD is a trembling mess. Eventually once JD gets used to being around them all again he lets them all freak out over his wings. Even letting them touch the sensitive skin and stretch them out.

His brothers would be taken on so many impromptu flights. Ether being held by by Feral's hands wrapped under their arms or being flung on Feral's back where they would be scrambling for something to hold onto. Feral's a bit impatient and tends to take off before his passengers are situated.

Man just thinking about Feral with wings and then adding the glowing thing he can do. He would fan is wings out as a display and use his glowing as a way to create optical illusions and confuse predators/critters. His brothers lose theirs minds all over again.

On another note the more i think about this idea the more i like it. Might make a mini spinoff series about it because i really like the wing idea. Gonna draw art of Feral with wings too.

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

The Middle of Nowhere (Part 1)

AI-Less Whumptober 2023: 1, 27 (details at bottom) Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Reader (no relationships) Summary: Best friends Bradley and Jake arrive in a snowy forest for one of their monthly trips together. And now that everything is all set, it's time to let the fun begin... Word Count: 1523 TW: The warnings are in the tags and at the bottom of fic, but please avoid if possible due to spoilers Notes: This is the first part of a mini-series (linked below). I am EXTREMELY proud and excited about this series and hope you enjoy! Huge thank you to @loverhymeswith and @lorecraft for all of your help!💕 Part of @ailesswhumptober's event

Series Masterlist

“Come on, man. I’m freezing my balls off out here.” Jake jams his hands into his jacket pockets as he bounces lightly on the balls of his feet, his breath pluming in front of his face. “Can’t we wait and do this during the day when it’s warmer?”

Pulling the Army surplus bag from the backseat of the pickup truck, Bradley rolls his eyes at his friend. “What, and increase the chances of someone stumbling across us? Don’t be stupid. Just be glad it’s a full moon so we can actually see what we’re doing. We don’t need a repeat of last time.”

“I told you we were starting too close to that cliff but, of course, no one ever listens to me,” Jake mutters under his breath, looking around the clearing. Then, louder, he says, “Can we at least build a fire or something? Just while we’re setting up or waiting for them to get here?”

“You know we can’t. Stop acting like this is our first time doing this and just help me already.”

But Jake ignores his request as he throws his hands up in the air. “Well, whose bright idea was it to do this where there’s snow? We could have planned a trip to Florida or Texas o-or California. You know, someplace warm where I can actually feel my fingers and the girls are still showing some skin. I swear, every person at that bar had at least four layers on and that one chick looked like the kid from A Christmas Story.”

Finally unable to put up with Jake’s whining any longer, Bradley hurls the bag at his feet. Jake scrambles back with a yelp, his eyes wide as he throws his hands over his face. But after a moment when he realizes the snow has cushioned the bag’s landing, he relaxes but glares at Bradley. “What the fuck, man?”

“First of all, dipshit,” Bradley says, stalking over to drive his finger into Jake’s chest. “It also snows in Texas and California. Second of all, we didn’t drive all the way to the middle of fucking nowhere just for you to drool over every pair of tits you see. You know the rules. No fucking random girls on these trips.”

“I wasn’t gonna fuck them. But there’s nothing wrong with wanting a little look—”

“And third of all, we decided to come up here because you were tired of the same old, same old, and proposed changing it up. You wanted more of a challenge than empty desert plains or summer mountainsides, so we said we would either try the snow or the swamp this time. But since you were too scared of gators—”

“I didn’t say scared, I said concerned—”

“Scared—we decided on snow. So if you have a problem, you have no one to blame but yourself.” Bradley jams his finger deeper into Jake’s chest before turning around and walking back to the truck. “Now, if you’re done complaining, we have work to do. And the sooner we get everything ready, the sooner we can have some fun.”

Jake swears under his breath, but this time he sulkily trudges over to help. Bradley gives him a small smile and a nod as he hands him another one of the bags. Jake could be a real pain in the ass when he wanted to be, but the two of them had been friends since the first day of college so Bradley had gotten used to it for the most part. And at the end of the day, there was no one else in the world he trusted more. Plus, with everything Bradley was dealing with at work and with his family, it was nice to be able to just get out in nature with his best friend and let off some steam every month or so. 

And, despite the cold, this location is perfect. The moon reflects off the fresh snow illuminating the area and the pale trees surrounding them stand like silent guards as the two men unload their supplies. Twenty miles or so from the nearest town, it is the ideal place to set up camp with little chance of being disturbed. 

Bradley closes his eyes and takes in the sounds of the forest around him: the rustle of the frosty wind, the soft creak of the trees as they shift and bend, the low hoot of an owl as it takes off somewhere in the distance. The only man-made noise that can be heard is the crunch of snow beneath Jake’s boots as he walks over to place his bag next to the one already lying on the ground. They couldn’t have asked for a better spot.

Though he wasn’t going to admit this to Jake at the moment, Bradley is excited at the prospect of trying this in the snow. For the past ten years or so, he and Jake and occasionally a few other friends had been organizing these trips. And while he still enjoyed each and every one of them, things had started feeling a bit repetitive. He wanted more of a challenge, an extra layer of excitement and thrill that he just wasn’t feeling anymore. And this feels like it might be just the thing to recapture that spark. 

They haven’t even finished unloading the truck and already Bradley can feel a crackle of energy in the air that usually isn’t there. It’s as if the entire forest is holding its breath, just waiting in anticipation for the real event to begin. 

And who was he to keep it waiting?

As Jake places the last bag on the pile, Bradley scans the surroundings one last time before giving it his nod of approval. “I think we’re good to go. We still have to wait for them to get here, but I don’t see why we can’t get things rolling until then.”

“It’s about fucking time!” Jake whoops loudly, charging over to the truck. 

“Idiot,” Bradley mumbles softly to himself as he shakes his head, yet he can’t deny the adrenaline pounding in his veins at the thought of what comes next. He had been waiting almost two months to do this again, and now the time had finally come.

Jake runs over to the truck's left so Bradley takes his place on the right. As they both rest their hands on the massive metal toolbox in the back of the truck, Bradley catches Jake’s eye. The blonde is grinning like an idiot and practically vibrating with excitement. Bradley smiles back, and on the count of three, they both open their side of the toolbox.

As the winter air rushes into the box bringing the falling snow softly floating down inside of it, you begin to stir with a low moan. The drugs Jake had slipped in your drink must be beginning to wear off. You shift slightly in your cramped container but the ropes tightly securing your hands and bare feet prevent much more than that. 

Bradley watches with rapt delight as you flinch at the cold kiss of snowflakes settling on your cheek and, with what seems like a great effort, your eyes drag themselves open. For a moment, you stare up at Bradley and he sees nothing but hazy confusion in your gaze. But as Jake comes around the truck to stand beside him, twirling one of his knives as he grins down at you, that delicious dread-filled look of terror blooms in your eyes and you begin thrashing around in the toolbox, pulling on your bonds. 

So predictable, and yet, Bradley never got tired of it. The fear and helplessness that radiated from their prey was like a drug to him with a high that no other experience could match. Already, he feels the endorphins and dopamine rush flooding his system and he hasn’t even laid a finger on you yet. But once he had…

You begin hollering for help at the top of your lungs, the sound muffled slightly by the wonderland of snow all around you. It’s an understandable response and one that each and every girl they had captured over the years had tried. However, this time something is different. This time there are no tears or sobs mixed in with the screams. There is still fear, yes, but along with it is a determination, a fire they had only ever seen in a handful of prey.

Jake chuckles and nudges Bradley, his knife spinning faster as he soaks in the screams that only the two of them will ever hear. Bradley nods back, knowing they are thinking the same thing. This one is special. This is going to be a hunt to remember.

Several minutes later as your voice grows hoarse and falters with the realization that no one is coming for you, you curl into yourself as much as the box will allow—as if that could save you from them.

Climbing up the side of the truck so he towers over you, Bradley smiles, his eyes roaming every inch of your body. “Well, hello there, sweetheart. Ready to have some fun?”

Part 2 coming soon!

TW: Dark!Bradley, Dark!Jake, Locked Away, Drugged, Explicit Language, Hunted for Sport, Mentions of Past Kidnappings

Taglist: @green-socks, @heart-0n-fire, @mayhem24-7forever @the-untamed-soul, @inglourious-imagines, @straightforwardly, @bonnieelizabethparker, @srry-itshockeyszn, @flyinlove, @fandomhopped, @sweetheartlizzie07, @wanderdreamer, @callsign-phoenix, @shanimallina87, @forever-sleepy-sloth, @notroosterbradshaw, @dezthegeek, @blessupblessup, @cherrycola27, @phoenix1389, @nicangelinee, @smells-like-perfect-senses, @boringusername3, @petlaufeyson, @cycbaby, @topguncortez, @footprintsinthesxn, @fantasticcopeaglepasta, @writercole, @onebigfangirlworld, @wkndwlff, @ravenmoore14, @clancycucumber230, @mayhemmanaged, @kmc1989, @ohtobeleah, @sunlightmurdock, @roosterbruiser, @sparrows-corner, @ryebecca, @mads-weasley, @trencher4lyfe, @merlehs, @sunshineflowerchild789, @je-suis-prest-rachel, @tellrock35, @shanimallina87, @mak-32, @blue-aconite, @deppresseddyslexic, @horneybeach1, @desert-fern, @withahappyrefrain

[crystal-lillies]

how was the 13th doctor robbed ?

Well. This is gonna be a long one anon.

For starters, she had a shorter episode count for each of her series (two consisting of 10 episodes, her last only had 6!!! SIX!!! and even with the ending specials that's 3 more, but they did not deal with the third season much at all. That story barely had anything.) Each season since the start of NuWho has been 13 episodes plus Christmas specials, give or take extra specials depending. (10th Doctor had FOUR extra specials after the end of his last season. Plus he showed up in Day of the Doctor, so he's been extra spoiled). Just think of how much more could have been done with more episodes!

She was also robbed of the traditional Christmas specials, which was a staple of EVERY NuWho season before her, and GUESS WHO GOT ONE RIGHT AWAY when RTD came back? (13 got a couple New Years specials which are fine, but she will be the ONLY multi season NuWho Doctor to not have a Christmas special, and that's just wrong. The Christmas specials are iconic and holiday time classics and always focus on familial bonds the Doctor makes and 13 is missing that).

The 13th Doctor's tenure also had to endure COVID, which isn't on the BBC or the showrunners obv, but it still detracts from what she could have had that the past Doctors had and what the future Doctors will have.

The 10th and 11th Doctors particularly had oodles of extra content like shorts and mini features that was nowhere to be found for the 13th Doctor. (In fairness, 12 didn't get as many extra bonus things also, but 12 had full seasons and Christmas specials, including one of the best ones with River Song).

And one of the most egregious forms of theft was from Jodie Whittaker herself. She is an incredible actress and she was hardly given the space to fully go as hard as she could. If you've ever seen the Antigone performance she gives...it's stunning. Legendary. Raw. She is a brilliant actress so she was able to bring some of that into certain moments of the 13th doctor's tenure, but there are painfully few epic moments of 13 in the same way there are so many of the 10th, 11th, and 12th doctors.

Also she was robbed, again with the shorter episode count, of breathing room and development with her companions. Short season runs (10 or less episodes) are So So Lean, and they really hurt so much not just from Doctor Who but the Netflix ATLA, Percy Jackson, Marvel and Star Wars shows, etc. We could have had more development time with Yaz, especially with her feelings toward 13, have them properly shown a lot more, rather than having Mandip and Jodie carrying everything on their backs with little add ins and crumbs. Plus Graham and Ryan! And poor Dan got shafted as the new Flux companion. He got so much less time to really get fleshed out and form a bond with 13. The show even makes a point of that! He's closer to Yaz than anyone.

And 13 was also robbed of one of the most important things of all: passing on her wardrobe to the next doctor.

RTD can say what he likes but he was a coward and an asshole for not having David wear Jodie's costume. He can't in one breath claim to be treading lightly about crossdressing to be respectful (when it's Perfectly Fine to have the POC male villain rock the wardrobe not a half hour before, weird) and in the same breath have Rose Noble's deadname used multiple times in the first TenThree special.

Apologies about the ramble, anon, but more or less, those are many of the reasons why I feel 13 has been robbed in ways her predecessors and her successors were/are not. (I've said these things before and I have said them again, and I'll probably keep saying them.) I genuinely hope this helps you understand some of the lingering feelings of disappointment.

[tubbytarchia]

jim stream. i tried to keep it short. its not short.

(full server list thanks to martyn streams pinned message: Aimsey, Bekyamon, Fwhip, Lizzie, Mogswamp, Oli, Shelby, Scott, Joel, Sneeg, Jimmy, Guqqie, Sausage, CPK, Eloise, and Martyn)

jimmy logs in and martyns nearby. they almost immediately start calling each other discheads. martyn says that he (himself) is the biggest dischead he knows.

aimsey comes over and ALSO calls them discheads but aimsey believes the holes a donut so they get offended.

aimseys STACKED. 14 hours on the server already. its day 4. jimmy and martyn believe that they just live in the server now. aimsey IRL left a party early to go home and play minecraft.

the server crashed but they knew it was going to so jimmy and martyn just started chanting disc to make sure it was the last word said before the crash. he talks to chat for a bit and he says hes going to build a base today

server restarts and they all rejoin. aimsey kills a horse then combat logs when jimmy and martyn go after them. its really funny since everyone else is in full diamond and jimmys walking around with his stone tools.

jimmy does a mini tour of the disc (just pointing out where things are) and he doesnt stop talking but he does look over at scotts twice. like a double take. which is understandable cuz it looks like this vv

^^ which TECHNICALLY doesnt mean anything. building inside a wall is a common building thing and it does not mean he is referencing any past series. (gritting my teeth)

jimmy decides that he should probably get geared up before doing anything else and goes mining.

HIM AND OLI ARE. STREAMING ELDEN RING TOMORROW. ????? really out of nowhere HES GONNA BE STREAMING ON TWITCH????????????? who is this man. who are u. my twitch streamer. he yearns for twitch emotes. and an among us stream on wednesday WHAT is happening

someone came into chat to tell him that impulse thought he was 30. he got so deeply offended about it. he demanded the chat to tell him that hes 28 then decided to message him HIMSELF "i am 28 years old. and proud. not 30." impulse said something like "close enough" and jimmy is so annoyed about it.

jimmy learns that joel is having a statue built of him. he IS happy about it but he makes a really funny expression for a few moments

hes been digging a staircase down instead of finding caves like a normal person and he finds an underwater cave. he crafts some doors and mines some underwater diamonds......... pro gamer.....

shelby joins and sausage starts. being sausage

olis in chat and jim starts talking to him. he asks if theyre still planning to live together and olis like pushing our minecraft beds together???

his diamond luck is INSANE he just cant stop finding them.

its been like 10 minutes since the 30 thing and hes like HAS IMPULSE MESSAGED ME BACK YET? (he hasnt) hes too scared. jimmy i think ur the only one who cares but its very endearing.

callum cpk has joined the jimmy solidaritygaming polycule. i mean what. jimmy promises he will be back in 2 minutes then finds a massive cave.

(he starts heading back and then finds a mineshaft. i fear they are never seeing each other)

i was joking earlier but WHAT IS HIS DEAL LMAOOOOOO jimmy was like WHY ARE YOU SO DEPENDANT?????? ("is this how joel feels? like what im like to him?" okay. okay)

(i tuned into cpks stream and he is actually doing it. he is slowly getting higher. why does jimmy attract the most insane men)

jimmys talking about tango swag/twag and how its being used and he calls himself a tango stan. he says a tango tangie (like an ethogirl)

jimmy finally gets back. cpk jumps down and survives! it took half his hearts but hes fine enough.

martyn comes over and they start berating cpk for not being a dischead. cpks like i think ur pushing the line of what u can say and theyre both like what? and he just backs down immediately,,,,,,

they go to scotts house just to harass him for being a donut believer. yeah sure why not. jimmy says he doesnt like the sound of scotts composter (it sounds like someones just in your walls all the time) and scott says hes going to build one in jimmys house.

martyn walks off at some point and cpk and jim talk about sausage. ("callum you cant be encouraging it." "i didnt know i was honestly")

jimmy starts making fun of cpk for being a furry. thats rich coming from him. cpk says it back and neither of them properly deny it which means its canon now

they talk about their dogs for a bit and cpk says all his dogs are called jimmy. jimmy gets close to him and is like i knew you were obsessed. this is the first time omgggg and cpks like i cant believe thats true. and jimmys like joels been obsessed. jk its the other way around

cpk decides to move into the disc. atp i think over half the server is living in/around the disc.

martyns here again. theyre trying to fix a waterfall that oli (and sausage?) made thats like. really strangely shaped. they fix it then start running around and start talking about how welsh kirstys accent is (cuz jim tried to do her accent and martyn was like shes more welsh than that and they bicker for a bit) and they run past scott and martyns like oi scott do u think kirstys welsh as anything AND ALL THIS TO SAY SCOTT AGREED WITH JIMMY. BIG NEWS.

he talks to bekyamon. when he asked her what she thinks the hole is she said shes agnostic, which implies the disc/donut thing is a religion. this is furthered by jimmy saying he will respect her beliefs. interesting.

he can hear oli from far away and eventually spots him. his first instinct upon seeing oli is to hide and just start repeating everything oli says. they meet up and talk about how they have done absolutely nothing. they talk about base plans and making a farm better than the one on the other side of the disc wall. oli says "slash neg" out loud

they talk about whos the discheads. jimmy mentions that cpk took some convincing and olis like "we hate a man who challenges authority" im SO scared as to what the disc/donut thing is going to become. they talk to cpk about the disc.

shelby comes over too and shes. shes calling herself the rim lord. frowns. i dont watch either of them very much but i think i need to be scared of the shelby/sausage teamup.

MARTYN HAS GONE TO A TRIAL CHAMBER AND HAS THE ACHIEVEMENT. i tuned into his stream to see and he literally just went close enough for the achievement then left.

jimmy went up to sausages house and listened in on him for a bit. someone in sausages chat calls him a professional minecrafter and hes like "well some may say that. i built all of this without anything on my side monitor" and jimmy just went like ʰᵉˢ ˡʸᶦⁿᵍ

then sausage comes down and they talk. sausage says he was breeding for fwhip for 10 hours last night. cows and sheep of course. hes calling himself the lord of the rim.

IT GETS WORSE. THEY FIND FWHIP. FWHIP IS CALLING HIMSELF THE LEADER OF THE BOWLGE (PRONOUNCED BULGE). THIS CANT KEEP HAPPENING. jimmys like deadpan to sausage Youre the rim lord. and sausage just starts laughing. he cant keep up with his own bit.

jimmy leaves and types the kick command in DEAD silence. freedom at last.

end of stream. lizzie might be joining jim and oli for elden ring. we're so back. new video near the end of the week maybe.

awful

I maintain that I wouldn't be able to bear watching this myself. What is this 12yo humor man I love a lot of these guys so much but what!! What rim lords!! What bulge!!!!!!!!! Where am I is it still 2024

The bit with seapeekay makes me unreasonably angry. Why is he doing this. Why do we keep treating Jimmy as an object of desire and burdening him with things he is not responsible nor owes anyone. What is this "If you dont come to me fast enough, I will kill myself" ultimatum. What the fuck has Jimmy done to deserve this why are half the people like this to Jimmy. I'm going to murder someone. When will he be treated like a person again. When will he break away from the ecosystem. When will he find himself in a relationship of mutual nature again. Angry. Seapeekay I have no faith in you anymore

And grrrr. that thing. That fucking thing Scott is building. And Jimmy taking a double take. My son. My poor son. He's being reminded.

Good on him and Martyn though for going over to Scott's house just to harass him. Sounds dreamy

[a-doubleh-x]

Fashionably Late Review: TADC Episode 2

Hi everyone! Welcome to Fashionably Late Reviews, where I write my thoughts on media days and days later, not because I've been in frequent dental pain, no, no, no. It's because I care for writing the most detailed, most thought through analysis you're ever gonna see!

Episode 1 started us with a general introduction as well as a mini arc for Pomni. Episode 2 resumes that with a proper self contained adventure while still breaking the mold in the process.

While this episode was shorter than the pilot, the writing was so good and the emotional beats so well played, I barely took notice. It felt like a very strong second step for the series, plus it gave every character at least a small moment to shine, which was very nice.

The theme of existential dread returns once more and this time we're treated to a showcase of how characters deal with it, prominently in this case Pomni, Ragatha and Jax. Interestingly, I noticed each of these has an NPC counterpart they get along with who reflects their personality in some way.

For the rest of this review, I'm going to run one by one following their perspectives and episode arcs in order to showcase the episode's narrative.

Pomni represents existential shock and subsequent apathy. After the first episode, we see her in a cathatonic state of depression, even while Ragatha tries to wake her up from that funk. Because her entire world has been shattered, she doesn't recognize herself anymore. She feels alone because nothing has meaning anymore.

The small distraction Ragatha offers her at the beginning, the adventure of the day, is rejected because she knows it's "fake". It's a sad substitute of all the experiences in the outside eorld she' been robbed of.

This is mirrored by Gummigoo, who undergoes a similar existential crisis when he learns he's an artificial construct with no agency. At that point, everything loses meaning for him as well, but just looking at someone in the same circusmtances as her fills Pomni with empathy, momentarily taking her out of her existential dread with a connection and purpose.

She knows getting out of the out of bounds area is not going to save them on the long term, but she still wants to do it because something has meaning for her again: Gummigoo, who may still be "fake" but holds enough humanity to feel "real" to her.

And then, Gummi dies, proving how fickle life is in front of an uncaring universe XD

It's still too early to say how much of an impact this will have on Pomni in the long run as well as how much of a trend it sets, so we'll see.

Ragatha represents coping through trivial distractions as as well as codependent altruism fueled by denial. We learnt the reason she goes along with the adventures is to keep herself and everyone else busy. This way everyone has something to do and don't go crazy: even if adventures are just trite entertainment.

She clearly puts others above herself, especially newbies like Pomni, in order to keep peace in the group (although I have a feeling she secretly hopes the others took care of her the same way).

Her counterpart is Princess Loolilaloo, whom she simply gets along with swimmingly. Princess Loo is presented as a sweet, kind and well meaning individual who unfortunately is blind to the circumstances surrounding her. This comes into play when she trusts the "heros" come out of nowhere with the key, which Jax holds for his own chaotic mischief.

Similarly, while Ragatha's intentions towards Pomni are benevolent, she fails to acknowledge her perspective and connect with her and instead annoys her with her toxic positivity. Fortunately, Kinger is there to teach her a valuable lesson, which is respecting others' boundaries and have patience.

Jax represents destructive revelry and rejection of morals. Because he believes nothing the crew does during their adventures matter, he spends the whole time stirring the pot in order to cause as much trouble as possible, not quite caring who gets affected as long as it's not himself.

It's interesting to note despite Jax's nihilistic tendencies, he seems to value self preservation, suggesting there are things he holds onto, after all. He's happy as long as he can see "funny things happen to people", but he's still not quite the master of his own world as he's still not satisfied if things go out of his control.

His counterpart is the Fudge, a haunting and deeply unsettling potrait of a sociopathic being. They're called a monster and they accepts that label willingly, as they were designed to be a monster. They claim to "hear the voices of the candy people, calling [them]". Tragically, their destructiveness is only in their nature.

Jax, however, causes pain deliberately and at the end we get a little hint of why. When the circus crew prepares Kauffmo's funeral, he looks sad for a moment, then angry. I think this is a subtle telling that Jax not that deep down *does* care for his fellow players, but he also rejects the pain of losing them, which is why he purposely pushes them off to avoid making connections.

At the end of the episode we're presented with a hopeful message, which is that even with the notion of existential dread, our connections are what keeps us alive in the face of non-existence. Although it seems there is no escape from the fate of abstraction yet, it seems that Pomni has gained a substantial comfort by seeing the humanity of the circus crew, represented by them grabbing her by the hand in her imaginary sequence.

All in all, a beautiful piece, although I dread what's still ahead of us XD As a writer, I've learnt to expect the unexpected, so I can only expect that we're going to have our hearts twisted and folded in ways we're absolutely *not* ready for. But it's all part of the fun! Right?

By the way, I just started writing a little fanfic for TADC. It's a Pomni x Ragatha story because I could use a little levity and I think everyone else as well. Expect that as well as more post like these in the upcoming future.

I'll see you fashionably late! 👋🎉🐊